World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD) Shares Gap Up – Here’s What Happened

World Acceptance Co. (NASDAQ:WRLD)’s share price gapped up prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $121.75, but opened at $124.88. World Acceptance shares last traded at $124.34, with a volume of 13,720 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com raised World Acceptance from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th.

World Acceptance Stock Up 0.2 %

The firm has a 50-day moving average of $133.04 and a 200 day moving average of $122.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 22.46 and a quick ratio of 22.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $720.67 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.76 and a beta of 1.48.

World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The credit services provider reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.23 by $1.22. World Acceptance had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 14.41%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that World Acceptance Co. will post 14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Luke J. Umstetter sold 488 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.19, for a total value of $73,292.72. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 14,760 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,216,804.40. The trade was a 3.20 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Jason E. Childers sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.58, for a total value of $71,790.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,039 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,154,239.62. The trade was a 5.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 4,188 shares of company stock worth $619,409 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 43.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On World Acceptance

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in World Acceptance in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $56,000. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of World Acceptance by 19.0% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 822 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $97,000 after buying an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. Amundi increased its stake in World Acceptance by 195.7% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 1,591 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $180,000 after acquiring an additional 1,053 shares during the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its stake in World Acceptance by 48.8% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 1,643 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $185,000 after acquiring an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in World Acceptance by 10.0% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 1,791 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $211,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. 83.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

World Acceptance Company Profile

World Acceptance Corporation engages in consumer finance business in the United States. The company provides short-term small installment loans, medium-term larger installment loans, related credit insurance, and ancillary products and services to individuals. It offers income tax return preparation and filing services; and automobile club memberships.