Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC) Sees Strong Trading Volume – What’s Next?

Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC) shares saw unusually-high trading volume on Wednesday . Approximately 22,390 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 39% from the previous session’s volume of 16,068 shares.The stock last traded at $39.69 and had previously closed at $37.90.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on ATLC. JMP Securities increased their price objective on Atlanticus from $39.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 14th. StockNews.com raised shares of Atlanticus from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th.

Atlanticus Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $615.90 million, a PE ratio of 9.92 and a beta of 1.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.43. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $34.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $31.31.

Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The credit services provider reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $315.64 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $309.74 million. Atlanticus had a return on equity of 25.32% and a net margin of 8.42%. Research analysts predict that Atlanticus Holdings Co. will post 4.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atlanticus

In other news, Director Deal W. Hudson sold 1,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.75, for a total transaction of $39,300.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 67,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,209,151.25. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Deal W. Hudson sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.35, for a total value of $78,375.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 64,955 shares in the company, valued at $2,036,339.25. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Deal W. Hudson sold 1,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.75, for a total transaction of $39,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 67,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,209,151.25. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 51.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Atlanticus

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATLC. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Atlanticus by 1.0% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 258,689 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $7,655,000 after acquiring an additional 2,453 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of Atlanticus by 5.0% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 16,978 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $596,000 after purchasing an additional 804 shares in the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its position in shares of Atlanticus by 9.3% in the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 8,310 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $234,000 after buying an additional 704 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in shares of Atlanticus by 9.3% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 8,127 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $229,000 after buying an additional 690 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in Atlanticus by 65.5% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,324 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $69,000 after acquiring an additional 920 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 14.15% of the company’s stock.

About Atlanticus

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.