American Century Companies Inc. Raises Position in Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC)

American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC - Free Report) by 60.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 52,334 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 19,776 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned about 0.36% of Atlanticus worth $2,919,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of Atlanticus by 393.1% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,283 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $80,000 after acquiring an additional 1,820 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Atlanticus by 158.8% in the third quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 2,971 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $104,000 after purchasing an additional 1,823 shares during the last quarter. Globeflex Capital L P bought a new stake in Atlanticus during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $119,000. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Atlanticus during the 4th quarter worth $129,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of Atlanticus in the 4th quarter worth about $147,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 14.15% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. B. Riley upgraded Atlanticus to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a "market perform" rating and issued a $52.00 price objective (up previously from $45.00) on shares of Atlanticus in a research report on Monday, March 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $61.00.

Atlanticus Price Performance

NASDAQ ATLC traded up $1.19 on Friday, reaching $51.43. The company had a trading volume of 48,248 shares, compared to its average volume of 35,695. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. Atlanticus Holdings Co. has a 12 month low of $23.10 and a 12 month high of $64.70. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $52.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $50.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $777.36 million, a PE ratio of 11.56 and a beta of 2.16.

Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 13th. The credit services provider reported $1.42 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $353.19 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $355.02 million. Atlanticus had a net margin of 8.39% and a return on equity of 25.14%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Atlanticus Holdings Co. will post 4.49 earnings per share for the current year.

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.