Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC) Rating Lowered to Buy at StockNews.com

Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC - Get Free Report) was downgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday.

Separately, JMP Securities reissued a "market outperform" rating and set a $37.00 target price on shares of Atlanticus in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th.

Atlanticus Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ATLC traded down $0.55 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $27.66. The company had a trading volume of 11,015 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,057. The firm's fifty day moving average is $31.28 and its 200 day moving average is $32.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $404.11 million, a PE ratio of 6.54 and a beta of 1.84. Atlanticus has a twelve month low of $26.26 and a twelve month high of $43.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 1.38.

Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 4th. The credit services provider reported $1.10 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.96 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $309.09 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $304.68 million. Atlanticus had a net margin of 8.90% and a return on equity of 27.93%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Atlanticus will post 4.85 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Atlanticus

In other news, Director Deal W. Hudson sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.50, for a total transaction of $61,000.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 69,855 shares in the company, valued at $2,130,577.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 52.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Atlanticus

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in ATLC. Captrust Financial Advisors acquired a new position in Atlanticus in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of Atlanticus during the 1st quarter worth $32,000. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale bought a new stake in shares of Atlanticus during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Atlanticus by 184.4% during the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,132 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 734 shares during the period. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in shares of Atlanticus by 499.5% during the 3rd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,157 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 964 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 14.15% of the company's stock.

About Atlanticus

Atlanticus Holdings Corporation, a financial technology company, provides credit and related financial services and products to customers the United States. It operates in two segments, Credit as a Service, and Auto Finance. The Credit as a Service segment originates a range of consumer loan products, such as private label and general purpose credit cards originated by lenders through various channels, including retail and healthcare, direct mail solicitation, digital marketing, and partnerships with third parties; and offers credit to their customers for the purchase of various goods and services, including consumer electronics, furniture, elective medical procedures, healthcare, and home-improvements by partnering with retailers, healthcare providers, and other service providers.