Regional Management (NYSE:RM) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Regional Management (NYSE:RM) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Monday,Wall Street Zen reports.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Weiss Ratings cut Regional Management from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Citizens Jmp lowered their price objective on shares of Regional Management from $45.00 to $43.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of Regional Management in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $43.00.

Regional Management Price Performance

NYSE RM opened at $33.29 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $32.57 and a 200 day simple moving average of $35.81. Regional Management has a twelve month low of $29.89 and a twelve month high of $44.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $307.30 million, a PE ratio of 7.01 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.41, a quick ratio of 64.04 and a current ratio of 64.04.

Regional Management (NYSE:RM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The credit services provider reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.81 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $168.01 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $165.69 million. Regional Management had a return on equity of 12.49% and a net margin of 6.98%.

Regional Management Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 19th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. Regional Management’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.26%.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder Fund L.P. Forager sold 10,401 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.22, for a total transaction of $335,120.22. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 919,136 shares in the company, valued at $29,614,561.92. The trade was a 1.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Lakhbir S. Lamba purchased 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $31.76 per share, for a total transaction of $111,160.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 55,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,770,111.84. This trade represents a 6.70% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 29,522 shares of company stock valued at $951,877. 10.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Regional Management in the 2nd quarter valued at $47,514,000. Basswood Capital Management L.L.C. acquired a new position in shares of Regional Management in the 2nd quarter valued at $35,244,000. Tieton Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Regional Management in the 2nd quarter valued at $13,112,000. Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Regional Management by 117.9% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 157,151 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $5,068,000 after acquiring an additional 85,040 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in shares of Regional Management by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 108,439 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $3,497,000 after acquiring an additional 2,618 shares during the period. 98.89% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Regional Management Company Profile

Regional Management Corp. (NYSE: RM) is a consumer finance company that provides personal installment loans to individuals who may have limited access to traditional bank credit. The company primarily serves non-prime borrowers through a combination of branch-based and online lending channels.

Its products generally include secured and unsecured consumer loans, along with optional insurance and other ancillary offerings. Regional Management evaluates borrowers based on their individual financial circumstances and provides loan services designed to meet personal, household and other consumer needs.

Founded in 1987 and headquartered in Greer, South Carolina, the company operates through a network of branches serving customers across several southeastern and southern U.S.