Atlanticus Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ:ATLC) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Atlanticus Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ:ATLC) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $90.00.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on ATLC shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Atlanticus in a report on Monday. JMP Securities lifted their price objective 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. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Atlanticus from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, November 16th. B. Riley raised their target price on shares of Atlanticus from $70.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 15th. Finally, BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $105.00 price target on shares of Atlanticus in a research note on Monday, October 27th.

Atlanticus Trading Down 0.3%

Atlanticus stock opened at $69.50 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $59.77 and a 200 day moving average of $59.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.34 and a beta of 2.08. Atlanticus has a 12-month low of $41.37 and a 12-month high of $78.91.

Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 10th. The credit services provider reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $495.29 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $503.64 million. Atlanticus had a net margin of 7.46% and a return on equity of 22.86%. As a group, research analysts predict that Atlanticus will post 4.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Atlanticus

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of ATLC. New York State Teachers Retirement System raised its holdings in shares of Atlanticus by 151.5% in the second quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 503 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 303 shares in the last quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new stake in shares of Atlanticus in the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atlanticus in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $47,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp bought a new position in shares of Atlanticus during the first quarter valued at approximately $71,000. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC increased its holdings in Atlanticus by 20,442.9% during the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 1,438 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $84,000 after buying an additional 1,431 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 14.15% of the company’s stock.

About Atlanticus

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.