Wellington Management Group LLP Acquires 75,068 Shares of Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC)

Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC - Free Report) by 159.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 122,225 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 75,068 shares during the quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP owned about 0.83% of Atlanticus worth $6,818,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Atlanticus by 2.0% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 122,501 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $4,298,000 after buying an additional 2,348 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Atlanticus by 2.4% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 93,431 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $3,278,000 after purchasing an additional 2,212 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership acquired a new position in shares of Atlanticus during the 4th quarter valued at about $3,828,000. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of Atlanticus by 60.7% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 52,334 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $2,919,000 after purchasing an additional 19,776 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in Atlanticus by 53.2% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 26,004 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,451,000 after acquiring an additional 9,026 shares during the period. 14.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atlanticus Stock Down 1.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ ATLC traded down $0.94 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $52.84. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,947 shares, compared to its average volume of 35,805. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $52.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $51.02. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. Atlanticus Holdings Co. has a fifty-two week low of $23.10 and a fifty-two week high of $64.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $798.72 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.84 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 earnings per share 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%. Equities research analysts predict that Atlanticus Holdings Co. will post 4.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ATLC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a "market perform" rating and set a $52.00 target price (up from $45.00) on shares of Atlanticus in a research note on Monday, March 17th. B. Riley raised Atlanticus to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Atlanticus currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average 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.