World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD) Shares Pass Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

World Acceptance Corporation (NASDAQ:WRLDGet Free Report)’s stock price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $156.23 and traded as high as $180.00. World Acceptance shares last traded at $179.27, with a volume of 75,177 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on WRLD shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded World Acceptance from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. Zacks Research upgraded World Acceptance from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised World Acceptance from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $10.00.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on WRLD

World Acceptance Stock Up 6.9%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 17.83 and a current ratio of 17.83. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $170.96 and a 200 day moving average price of $156.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $977.02 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.10 and a beta of 1.35.

World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLDGet Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.44 by ($2.19). The business had revenue of $132.45 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $122.38 million. World Acceptance had a net margin of 14.29% and a return on equity of 18.95%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that World Acceptance Corporation will post 14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Daniel Clinton Dyer sold 4,704 shares of World Acceptance stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.50, for a total transaction of $750,288.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 42,714 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,812,883. The trade was a 9.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Ken R. Bramlett, Jr. sold 3,389 shares of World Acceptance stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.19, for a total value of $566,606.91. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 32,205 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,384,353.95. This represents a 9.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 356,559 shares of company stock worth $61,548,969. Corporate insiders own 41.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On World Acceptance

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in World Acceptance by 570.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 369 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 314 shares during the last quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC acquired a new position in World Acceptance during the first quarter worth $308,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in World Acceptance by 2.4% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 16,162 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,045,000 after buying an additional 386 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in World Acceptance by 17.0% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 62,019 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $7,849,000 after buying an additional 9,005 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in World Acceptance by 2.2% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 349,238 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $44,196,000 after buying an additional 7,429 shares in the last quarter. 83.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About World Acceptance

(Get Free Report)

World Acceptance Corporation engages in consumer finance business in the United States. The company provides short-term small installment loans, medium-term larger installment loans, related credit insurance, and ancillary products and services to individuals. It offers income tax return preparation and filing services; and automobile club memberships.

Further Reading

Receive News & Ratings for World Acceptance Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for World Acceptance and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.