World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD) Shares Down 3.4% – Should You Sell?

World Acceptance Corporation (NASDAQ:WRLD)’s share price was down 3.4% on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $131.01 and last traded at $130.9010. Approximately 53,267 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 57% from the average daily volume of 123,850 shares. The stock had previously closed at $135.52.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of World Acceptance in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research upgraded World Acceptance from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold”.

World Acceptance Price Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $131.95 and a 200-day moving average of $146.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 25.01 and a current ratio of 25.01. The company has a market cap of $645.12 million, a PE ratio of 16.73 and a beta of 1.20.

World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The credit services provider reported ($0.19) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by ($0.77). World Acceptance had a return on equity of 10.80% and a net margin of 7.46%.The firm had revenue of $128.47 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $133.49 million. Equities analysts predict that World Acceptance Corporation will post 14 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider John L. Calmes, Jr. sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.88, for a total transaction of $141,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 50,334 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,141,387.92. This represents a 1.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 41.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WRLD. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of World Acceptance by 677.8% during the third quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 11,582 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,959,000 after buying an additional 10,093 shares in the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd lifted its stake in shares of World Acceptance by 138.1% in the third quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd now owns 20,241 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $3,424,000 after buying an additional 11,741 shares in the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC acquired a new position in World Acceptance during the second quarter worth about $941,000. CX Institutional acquired a new position in World Acceptance during the third quarter worth about $6,258,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in World Acceptance by 14.2% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 85,622 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $14,482,000 after acquiring an additional 10,649 shares in the last quarter. 83.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About World Acceptance

World Acceptance Corporation (NASDAQ: WRLD) is a consumer finance company headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina. Founded in 1972, the company provides credit solutions to underserved customers who may have limited access to traditional banking services. Over the decades, World Acceptance has built a reputation for tailored lending that emphasizes responsible underwriting and personalized customer service.

The company’s core product offerings include short-term installment loans designed to meet the immediate financial needs of its clients.