World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD) Downgraded to “Buy” Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Saturday morning.

World Acceptance Price Performance

World Acceptance stock opened at $126.55 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 22.46, a quick ratio of 22.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $134.03 and its 200-day moving average is $123.00. World Acceptance has a 12 month low of $101.85 and a 12 month high of $161.63. The company has a market capitalization of $727.28 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.84 and a beta of 1.48.

World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The credit services provider reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.23 by $1.22. World Acceptance had a net margin of 14.41% and a return on equity of 19.03%. Equities research analysts expect that World Acceptance will post 14 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Scott Mcintyre sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.22, for a total value of $300,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 7,183 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,079,030.26. This represents a 21.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Alice Lindsay Caulder sold 600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.81, for a total transaction of $83,886.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 8,524 shares in the company, valued at $1,191,740.44. This represents a 6.58 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,188 shares of company stock worth $619,409. Corporate insiders own 43.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On World Acceptance

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in World Acceptance by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 15,776 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,774,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of World Acceptance by 282.9% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 7,657 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $903,000 after acquiring an additional 5,657 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in World Acceptance by 10.0% during the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 1,791 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $211,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of World Acceptance by 24.0% in the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 8,271 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $976,000 after acquiring an additional 1,601 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi raised its stake in shares of World Acceptance by 195.7% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 1,591 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $180,000 after purchasing an additional 1,053 shares during the last quarter. 83.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About World Acceptance

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.