Regional Management Corp. (NYSE:RM) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

Regional Management Corp. (NYSE:RM - Get Free Report) saw a large decline in short interest in May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 243,900 shares, a decline of 14.5% from the April 30th total of 285,200 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 46,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.2 days. Approximately 2.7% of the company's stock are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on RM. Wall Street Zen cut Regional Management from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday, May 4th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on Regional Management from $33.00 to $30.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd.

Regional Management Stock Performance

RM stock traded up $0.47 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $27.45. 25,915 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 36,000. The company has a current ratio of 44.42, a quick ratio of 44.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.94. Regional Management has a 52-week low of $25.41 and a 52-week high of $37.52. The stock has a market cap of $272.35 million, a P/E ratio of 6.60 and a beta of 1.17. The stock's 50-day moving average is $29.27 and its 200 day moving average is $31.87.

Regional Management (NYSE:RM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The credit services provider reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $152.97 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $153.59 million. Regional Management had a return on equity of 13.20% and a net margin of 7.01%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Regional Management will post 4.7 EPS for the current year.

Regional Management Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 21st will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 21st. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.37%. Regional Management's payout ratio is currently 36.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Robert William Beck sold 1,665 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.13, for a total transaction of $50,166.45. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 100,008 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,013,241.04. This trade represents a 1.64% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 10.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in Regional Management by 38.0% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 4,425 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $150,000 after buying an additional 1,218 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of Regional Management by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 43,691 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,485,000 after purchasing an additional 2,042 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Regional Management during the fourth quarter worth about $831,000. Pacific Global Investment Management Co. raised its stake in Regional Management by 9.8% during the 4th quarter. Pacific Global Investment Management Co. now owns 7,433 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $253,000 after purchasing an additional 665 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Regional Management by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 50,359 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,711,000 after purchasing an additional 992 shares in the last quarter. 98.89% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Regional Management Company Profile

Regional Management Corp., a diversified consumer finance company, provides various installment loan products primarily to customers with limited access to consumer credit from banks, thrifts, credit card companies, and other lenders in the United States. It offers small and large installment loans; and retail loans to finance the purchase of furniture, appliances, and other retail products.