11,068 Shares in Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC) Bought by Horizon Investment Services LLC

Horizon Investment Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund purchased 11,068 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $617,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of Atlanticus by 393.1% during 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 lifted its stake in 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 buying an additional 1,823 shares during the period. Globeflex Capital L P bought a new position in shares of Atlanticus during the 4th quarter worth approximately $119,000. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Atlanticus during the 4th quarter worth approximately $129,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of Atlanticus in the 4th quarter valued at $147,000. 14.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on ATLC shares. JMP Securities raised their price target on shares of Atlanticus from $54.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. B. Riley raised Atlanticus to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued 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 research 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $61.00.

Atlanticus Price Performance

ATLC stock opened at $51.78 on Friday. 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 business has a 50-day simple moving average of $54.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $49.40. The company has a market capitalization of $782.65 million, a P/E ratio of 11.64 and a beta of 2.16. Atlanticus Holdings Co. has a 52-week low of $23.10 and a 52-week high of $64.70.

Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 13th. The credit services provider reported $1.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.19. Atlanticus had a return on equity of 25.14% and a net margin of 8.39%. The company had revenue of $353.19 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $355.02 million. Research analysts expect that Atlanticus Holdings Co. will post 4.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.