Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC) Short Interest Update

Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC) was the target of a large growth in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 211,200 shares, a growth of 25.0% from the February 28th total of 168,900 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 59,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.5 days. Currently, 4.2% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Atlanticus

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of ATLC. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in Atlanticus by 159.2% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 122,225 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $6,818,000 after buying an additional 75,068 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP bought a new stake in shares of Atlanticus in the 4th quarter worth approximately $201,000. Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP bought a new stake in shares of Atlanticus in the 4th quarter worth approximately $376,000. Millennium Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atlanticus in the 4th quarter valued at $987,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG grew its holdings in shares of Atlanticus by 35.4% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 4,829 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $269,000 after purchasing an additional 1,262 shares during the last quarter. 14.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on ATLC. JMP Securities boosted their price target on shares of Atlanticus from $54.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a “market perform” rating and set a $52.00 target price (up from $45.00) on shares of Atlanticus in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, B. Riley upgraded Atlanticus to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $61.00.

Atlanticus Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ATLC opened at $51.15 on Tuesday. Atlanticus has a one year low of $23.10 and a one year high of $64.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 1.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $773.13 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.49 and a beta of 2.16. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $54.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $49.81.

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

Atlanticus Company 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.