Atlanticus’ (ATLC) “Market Outperform” Rating Reaffirmed at JMP Securities

Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC)‘s stock had its “market outperform” rating reaffirmed by analysts at JMP Securities in a research report issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $39.00 price target on the credit services provider’s stock. JMP Securities’ price objective suggests a potential upside of 59.18% from the stock’s previous close.

Separately, StockNews.com lowered Atlanticus from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th.

Atlanticus Price Performance

Atlanticus stock opened at $24.50 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $30.44 and its 200 day moving average is $31.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 1.38. The firm has a market cap of $362.60 million, a P/E ratio of 5.79 and a beta of 1.84. Atlanticus has a one year low of $24.50 and a one year high of $43.70.

Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 4th. The credit services provider reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.96 by $0.14. Atlanticus had a return on equity of 27.93% and a net margin of 8.90%. The firm had revenue of $309.09 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $304.68 million. As a group, research analysts expect that Atlanticus will post 4.85 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Deal W. Hudson sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.50, for a total transaction of $61,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 69,855 shares in the company, valued at $2,130,577.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other Atlanticus news, Director Deal W. Hudson sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.50, for a total value of $61,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 69,855 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,130,577.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Frank J. Hanna III acquired 263,432 shares of Atlanticus stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 9th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $28.21 per share, with a total value of $7,431,416.72. Following the purchase, the insider now directly owns 263,432 shares in the company, valued at $7,431,416.72. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 52.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Captrust Financial Advisors bought a new position in Atlanticus in the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of Atlanticus during the 1st quarter valued at $32,000. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale purchased a new position in shares of Atlanticus during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Barclays PLC lifted its position 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 valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 734 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position 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 valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 964 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.