Short Interest in Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC) Drops By 14.8%

Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC) was the target of a large decrease in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 157,600 shares, a decrease of 14.8% from the January 15th total of 184,900 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 57,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.7 days. Approximately 3.2% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atlanticus

In related news, CAO Mitchell Saunders sold 16,004 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.55, for a total value of $889,022.20. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 50,973 shares in the company, valued at $2,831,550.15. The trade was a 23.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 51.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Atlanticus

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its position in shares of Atlanticus by 229.4% during the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 728 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 507 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its stake in Atlanticus by 393.1% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,283 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $80,000 after purchasing an additional 1,820 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Atlanticus by 158.8% during the third quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 2,971 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $104,000 after purchasing an additional 1,823 shares during the last quarter. Globeflex Capital L P purchased a new stake in shares of Atlanticus during the fourth quarter valued at $119,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Atlanticus in the fourth quarter worth about $129,000. 14.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATLC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. BTIG Research lifted their price objective on Atlanticus from $45.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. B. Riley upgraded Atlanticus to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Stephens assumed coverage on shares of Atlanticus in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $54.00 price target on the stock. Finally, JMP Securities increased their price objective 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. One investment 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.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $57.20.

Atlanticus Stock Performance

NASDAQ ATLC opened at $59.82 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $881.75 million, a PE ratio of 13.44 and a beta of 2.10. Atlanticus has a 1-year low of $23.09 and a 1-year high of $64.70. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $57.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $45.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 1.44.

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.