Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC - Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 211,200 shares, an increase of 25.0% from the February 28th total of 168,900 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 59,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.5 days. Approximately 4.2% of the company's shares are sold short.

Institutional Trading of Atlanticus

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in shares of Atlanticus by 229.4% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 728 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 507 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position 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 purchasing an additional 1,820 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Atlanticus by 158.8% during the 3rd quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 2,971 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $104,000 after buying an additional 1,823 shares during the last quarter. Globeflex Capital L P acquired a new stake in shares of Atlanticus during the fourth quarter worth approximately $119,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Atlanticus in the fourth quarter worth $129,000. 14.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atlanticus Stock Down 4.1 %

Shares of ATLC stock traded down $1.92 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $45.05. The company had a trading volume of 92,581 shares, compared to its average volume of 34,519. The company has a market capitalization of $680.93 million, a P/E ratio of 10.12 and a beta of 2.16. Atlanticus has a twelve month low of $23.10 and a twelve month high of $64.70. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $53.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $50.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 1.44.

Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC - Get Free Report) last posted 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. Atlanticus had a net margin of 8.39% and a return on equity of 25.14%. The business had revenue of $353.19 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $355.02 million. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Atlanticus will post 4.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.