Brokerages Set Atlanticus Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ:ATLC) Price Target at $80.80

Shares of Atlanticus Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ:ATLC) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $80.80.

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Atlanticus from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Atlanticus in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $105.00 target price on shares of Atlanticus in a research report on Monday, October 27th. JMP Securities raised their price target on shares of Atlanticus from $78.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Atlanticus in a research note on Thursday, September 18th.

Atlanticus Stock Performance

Shares of ATLC opened at $54.01 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $61.48 and a 200 day moving average of $56.84. The company has a market capitalization of $816.90 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.49 and a beta of 2.14. Atlanticus has a 12 month low of $41.37 and a 12 month high of $78.91. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The credit services provider reported $1.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.21. Atlanticus had a return on equity of 24.20% and a net margin of 8.51%.The business had revenue of $393.82 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $373.87 million. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Atlanticus will post 4.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Atlanticus Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 1st were given a dividend of $0.4766 per share. This represents a $1.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atlanticus

In related news, Director Deal W. Hudson sold 2,000 shares of Atlanticus stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.39, for a total value of $124,780.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 61,092 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,811,529.88. This trade represents a 3.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 50.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Atlanticus

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new position in shares of Atlanticus in the first quarter worth about $387,000. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC bought a new position in Atlanticus in the 1st quarter worth approximately $696,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in Atlanticus in the 1st quarter worth approximately $56,000. US Bancorp DE purchased a new position in Atlanticus in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $74,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Atlanticus by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 15,751 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $806,000 after acquiring an additional 561 shares during the period. 14.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atlanticus Company Profile

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.