World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD) Hits New 1-Year High - What's Next?

Key Points

• World Acceptance Corporation's stock reached a new 52-week high of $178.61, closing at $178.41 with trading volume of 3,596 shares.
• The stock rating was downgraded from "strong-buy" to "hold" by Wall Street Zen, with an average price target of $10.00 and a consensus rating of "Hold."
• The company reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $0.25, considerably missing the analysts' consensus estimate of $2.44, despite revenues exceeding expectations at $132.45 million.

World Acceptance Corporation (NASDAQ:WRLD - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $178.41 and last traded at $178.61, with a volume of 3596 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $176.12.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of World Acceptance from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $10.00.

World Acceptance Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $958.54 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.87 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a 50-day moving average of $166.69 and a 200-day moving average of $150.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 17.83 and a current ratio of 17.83.

World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.44 by ($2.19). World Acceptance had a return on equity of 18.95% and a net margin of 14.29%.The company had revenue of $132.45 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $122.38 million. As a group, research analysts anticipate that World Acceptance Corporation will post 14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other World Acceptance news, Director Ken R. Bramlett, Jr. sold 3,389 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.19, for a total value of $566,606.91. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 32,205 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,384,353.95. This trade represents a 9.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Alice Lindsay Caulder sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.33, for a total value of $167,330.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 16,515 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,763,454.95. This represents a 5.71% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 356,559 shares of company stock valued at $61,548,969. 41.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On World Acceptance

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of World Acceptance by 570.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 369 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 314 shares during the period. Magnetar Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of World Acceptance during the 1st quarter worth about $308,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in World Acceptance by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 16,162 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $2,045,000 after acquiring an additional 386 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of World Acceptance by 17.0% during the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 62,019 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $7,849,000 after buying an additional 9,005 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of World Acceptance by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 349,238 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $44,196,000 after purchasing an additional 7,429 shares during the period. 83.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

World Acceptance Company Profile

World Acceptance Corporation engages in consumer finance business in the United States. The company provides short-term small installment loans, medium-term larger installment loans, related credit insurance, and ancillary products and services to individuals. It offers income tax return preparation and filing services; and automobile club memberships.

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