Horizon Investment Services LLC Takes $617,000 Position in Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC)

Horizon Investment Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 11,068 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $617,000. Horizon Investment Services LLC owned 0.08% of Atlanticus at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in Atlanticus in the third quarter valued at about $313,000. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Atlanticus during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,654,000. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Atlanticus by 285.6% in 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 during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Atlanticus by 2.0% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 122,501 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $4,298,000 after buying an additional 2,348 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new stake in Atlanticus during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $425,000. 14.15% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atlanticus Price Performance

Shares of ATLC traded up $1.40 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $52.42. 15,931 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 33,768. The stock has a market cap of $792.33 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.78 and a beta of 2.16. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $54.16 and a 200-day moving average of $49.95. 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 Holdings Co. has a 52 week low of $23.10 and a 52 week high of $64.70.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ATLC has been the topic of several analyst reports. JMP Securities lifted their price target on shares of Atlanticus from $54.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. B. Riley raised Atlanticus to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and issued a $52.00 price objective (up previously from $45.00) on shares of Atlanticus in a research note on Monday, March 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Atlanticus presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $61.00.

Atlanticus Profile

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.