World Acceptance's (WRLD) "Buy (B-)" Rating Reaffirmed at Weiss Ratings

Key Points

• World Acceptance's stock has maintained a "Buy (B-)" rating according to Weiss Ratings, despite mixed assessments from other analysts, with one analyst rating it a Buy and two issuing Hold ratings.
• The company reported a loss of ($0.38) earnings per share in its latest quarter, significantly missing the expected $1.87, but had revenue of $134.47 million, exceeding analyst estimates.
• Insiders have sold over 356,559 shares of World Acceptance stock in the last ninety days, indicating a 41.60% insider ownership of the company.

World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy (b-)" rating restated by equities research analysts at Weiss Ratings in a research note issued on Friday,Weiss Ratings reports.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of World Acceptance from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Zacks Research raised shares of World Acceptance from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, September 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $10.00.

World Acceptance Stock Performance

Shares of World Acceptance stock traded down $14.22 on Friday, reaching $140.78. 103,641 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 40,847. The company has a current ratio of 17.83, a quick ratio of 17.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $172.19 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $158.47. World Acceptance has a 1-year low of $104.99 and a 1-year high of $185.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $767.27 million, a PE ratio of 9.50 and a beta of 1.35.

World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported ($0.38) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.87 by ($2.25). World Acceptance had a return on equity of 18.95% and a net margin of 14.29%.The company had revenue of $134.47 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $127.85 million. As a group, research analysts anticipate that World Acceptance will post 14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at World Acceptance

In related news, SVP Alice Lindsay Caulder sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.33, for a total transaction of $167,330.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 16,515 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,763,454.95. This represents a 5.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Daniel Clinton Dyer sold 4,704 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.50, for a total transaction of $750,288.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 42,714 shares in the company, valued at $6,812,883. The trade was a 9.92% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 356,559 shares of company stock valued at $61,548,969. 41.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On World Acceptance

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of WRLD. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in World Acceptance by 570.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 369 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 314 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in World Acceptance by 103.2% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 569 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $94,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in World Acceptance by 876.2% during the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 820 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $104,000 after purchasing an additional 736 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS raised its stake in World Acceptance by 60.0% during the second quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS now owns 800 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $132,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Finally, CWM LLC raised its stake in World Acceptance by 163.4% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 848 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $140,000 after purchasing an additional 526 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.63% of the company's stock.

About World Acceptance

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.