Brokerages Set Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC) Target Price at $57.20

Shares of Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the five research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $57.20.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on ATLC. Stephens started coverage on Atlanticus in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $54.00 price target on the stock. B. Riley upped their target price on Atlanticus from $50.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. BTIG Research lifted their price target on shares of Atlanticus from $45.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, JMP Securities raised their price objective on shares of Atlanticus from $54.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Mitchell Saunders sold 16,004 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.55, for a total transaction of $889,022.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 50,973 shares in the company, valued at $2,831,550.15. This trade represents a 23.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Denise M. Harrod sold 1,141 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.00, for a total value of $55,909.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 5,659 shares in the company, valued at approximately $277,291. The trade was a 16.78 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 17,504 shares of company stock worth $962,522 over the last quarter. Insiders own 51.80% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in Atlanticus by 393.1% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,283 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $80,000 after buying an additional 1,820 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew 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 valued at $104,000 after purchasing an additional 1,823 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers raised its stake in shares of Atlanticus by 9.3% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 8,127 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $229,000 after purchasing an additional 690 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its stake in shares of Atlanticus by 9.3% during the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 8,310 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $234,000 after purchasing an additional 704 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in Atlanticus by 285.6% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 8,218 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $289,000 after purchasing an additional 6,087 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 14.15% of the company's stock.

Atlanticus Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of Atlanticus stock traded down $0.59 on Monday, reaching $59.80. 48,479 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 20,638. The company has a market capitalization of $881.39 million, a P/E ratio of 13.57 and a beta of 2.05. Atlanticus has a 52 week low of $23.09 and a 52 week high of $64.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 1.44. The firm's 50-day moving average is $46.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $36.89.

Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The credit services provider reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.04. Atlanticus had a net margin of 8.39% and a return on equity of 25.14%. The business had revenue of $351.22 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $326.64 million. Sell-side analysts predict that Atlanticus will post 4.47 EPS for the current fiscal 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.