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

Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC) saw a significant 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 trading volume of 57,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.7 days. Currently, 3.2% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Mitchell Saunders sold 16,004 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.55, for a total value of $889,022.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 50,973 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,831,550.15. This trade represents a 23.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 51.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ATLC. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in Atlanticus by 229.4% during the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 728 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 507 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in Atlanticus by 393.1% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,283 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $80,000 after buying an additional 1,820 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Atlanticus by 158.8% in the 3rd 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 bought a new stake in shares of Atlanticus in the 4th quarter worth approximately $119,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Atlanticus in the 4th quarter worth approximately $129,000. Institutional investors own 14.15% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. BTIG Research increased their target price on Atlanticus from $45.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. B. Riley upgraded Atlanticus to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. JMP Securities raised their price objective on Atlanticus from $54.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, Stephens began coverage on Atlanticus in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $54.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $57.20.

Atlanticus Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ATLC traded up $0.35 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $59.82. 27,414 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 64,535. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $57.91 and a 200-day simple moving average of $45.53. Atlanticus has a 52 week low of $23.09 and a 52 week high of $64.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $881.69 million, a P/E ratio of 13.44 and a beta of 2.10.

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.