Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC) Shares Gap Up on Analyst Upgrade

Atlanticus Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ:ATLCGet Free Report)’s stock price gapped up before the market opened on Monday after Texas Capital upgraded the stock from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating. The stock had previously closed at $99.26, but opened at $103.81. Atlanticus shares last traded at $101.42, with a volume of 16,704 shares trading hands.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on ATLC. Weiss Ratings upgraded Atlanticus from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Atlanticus from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Zacks Research raised shares of Atlanticus from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Citizens Jmp upped their price objective on shares of Atlanticus from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, BTIG Research raised their target price on shares of Atlanticus from $105.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $126.00.

View Our Latest Report on Atlanticus

Insider Transactions at Atlanticus

In other news, CFO William Mccamey sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.01, for a total transaction of $1,030,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 127,410 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,124,504.10. The trade was a 7.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Mitchell Saunders sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.20, for a total value of $1,022,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 46,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,729,100.60. The trade was a 17.77% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 75,000 shares of company stock valued at $7,868,627 over the last 90 days. 51.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Atlanticus

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in shares of Atlanticus by 274.6% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 23,314 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,193,000 after acquiring an additional 17,091 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Atlanticus in the first quarter worth $1,083,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp purchased a new stake in Atlanticus during the first quarter valued at $71,000. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in Atlanticus by 47.3% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 38,312 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,960,000 after acquiring an additional 12,308 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of Atlanticus by 241.1% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 18,039 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $988,000 after acquiring an additional 12,751 shares during the period. 14.15% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atlanticus Stock Up 1.3%

The company’s fifty day moving average price is $90.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $70.58. The stock has a market cap of $1.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.60 and a beta of 2.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.24.

Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLCGet Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The credit services provider reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.54. The firm had revenue of $679.59 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $749.36 million. Atlanticus had a return on equity of 23.43% and a net margin of 5.86%. Equities analysts forecast that Atlanticus Holdings Corporation will post 9.48 EPS for the current year.

About Atlanticus

(Get Free Report)

Atlanticus Holdings Corporation is a specialty financial services holding company that provides credit products and solutions to consumers across the United States. Through its subsidiaries, the company offers proprietary credit card programs, installment loan products and deposit accounts designed to serve customers who may have limited access to traditional credit. Atlanticus markets its offerings through a variety of channels, including direct‐to‐consumer online platforms, mail order, call centers and partnerships with retail and e-commerce businesses.

The company underwrites and services credit card portfolios under private-label and co-branded agreements, combining technology‐enabled underwriting with tailored customer service.

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