Barclays PLC Purchases 6,087 Shares of Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC)

Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC) by 285.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 8,218 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,087 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned 0.06% of Atlanticus worth $289,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in shares of Atlanticus by 9.3% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 8,127 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $229,000 after acquiring an additional 690 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its stake in shares of Atlanticus by 9.3% in the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 8,310 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $234,000 after acquiring an additional 704 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of Atlanticus by 5.0% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 16,978 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $596,000 after acquiring an additional 804 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 1,820 shares during the period. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Atlanticus by 158.8% in the third quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 2,971 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $104,000 after acquiring an additional 1,823 shares during the period. 14.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atlanticus

In other news, CAO Mitchell Saunders sold 16,004 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,831,550.15. The trade was 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 hyperlink. Also, Director Denise M. Harrod sold 1,141 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.00, for a total transaction of $55,909.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,659 shares in the company, valued at $277,291. This trade represents a 16.78 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 17,504 shares of company stock valued at $962,522 over the last 90 days. 51.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Atlanticus Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ATLC opened at $55.73 on Monday. 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 Holdings Co. has a 1-year low of $23.09 and a 1-year high of $64.70. The company has a market capitalization of $821.40 million, a P/E ratio of 12.52 and a beta of 2.05. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $52.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $40.10.

Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The credit services provider reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.04. Atlanticus had a net margin of 8.39% and a return on equity of 25.14%. The business had revenue of $351.22 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $326.64 million. Research analysts expect that Atlanticus Holdings Co. will post 4.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on ATLC. BTIG Research lifted their price target on shares of Atlanticus from $45.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. JMP Securities raised their price objective on shares of Atlanticus from $54.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Stephens assumed coverage on shares of Atlanticus in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $54.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, B. Riley raised their price objective on shares of Atlanticus from $50.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $57.20.

Atlanticus 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.