Medallion Financial (NASDAQ:MFIN) Share Price Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Medallion Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:MFIN - Get Free Report) shares passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $8.55 and traded as high as $9.53. Medallion Financial shares last traded at $9.39, with a volume of 72,111 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com cut Medallion Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th.

Medallion Financial Stock Up 0.4 %

The firm's 50-day moving average price is $9.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $8.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a current ratio of 1.18. The firm has a market cap of $216.61 million, a PE ratio of 5.56 and a beta of 2.11.

Medallion Financial (NASDAQ:MFIN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The credit services provider reported $0.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $77.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $52.88 million. Medallion Financial had a net margin of 13.72% and a return on equity of 9.52%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.48 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Medallion Financial Corp. will post 1.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Medallion Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th were given a $0.11 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. This is a boost from Medallion Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.69%. Medallion Financial's dividend payout ratio is 26.04%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in shares of Medallion Financial by 52.3% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 4,820 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 1,656 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new stake in Medallion Financial during the 3rd quarter worth $117,000. PDT Partners LLC purchased a new position in Medallion Financial during the 3rd quarter worth $165,000. Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in Medallion Financial by 2,306.5% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 24,185 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $186,000 after purchasing an additional 23,180 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of Medallion Financial by 297.6% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 26,063 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $213,000 after buying an additional 19,508 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 40.56% of the company's stock.

Medallion Financial Company Profile

Medallion Financial Corp., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a specialty finance company in the United States. It operates in four segments: Recreation Lending, Home Improvement Lending, Commercial Lending, and Taxi Medallion Lending. The company offers loans that finance consumer purchases of recreational vehicles, boats, and other consumer recreational equipment; consumer financing for window, siding, and roof replacement, swimming pool installations, and other home improvement projects; senior and subordinated loans for the purchase of equipment and related assets necessary to open a new business, or purchase or improvement of an existing business; and taxi medallion loans to individuals and small to mid-size businesses.