Teacher Retirement System of Texas Lowers Stock Holdings in World Acceptance Co. (NASDAQ:WRLD)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas cut its stake in shares of World Acceptance Co. (NASDAQ:WRLD) by 16.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,456 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 2,505 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas owned approximately 0.22% of World Acceptance worth $1,401,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WRLD. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of World Acceptance by 19.0% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 822 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $97,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in World Acceptance by 10.0% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 1,791 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $211,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in World Acceptance by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 15,776 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,774,000 after buying an additional 176 shares during the period. Centiva Capital LP raised its position in World Acceptance by 16.5% during the 3rd quarter. Centiva Capital LP now owns 4,038 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $476,000 after buying an additional 572 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP lifted its stake in shares of World Acceptance by 53.3% in the 3rd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 1,997 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $236,000 after acquiring an additional 694 shares during the period. 83.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Scott Mcintyre sold 2,000 shares of World Acceptance stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.22, for a total transaction of $300,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 7,183 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,079,030.26. This trade represents a 21.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Luke J. Umstetter sold 488 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.19, for a total value of $73,292.72. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 14,760 shares in the company, valued at $2,216,804.40. This trade represents a 3.20 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,188 shares of company stock valued at $619,409. Corporate insiders own 43.20% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com cut shares of World Acceptance from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday.

World Acceptance Stock Down 3.8 %

World Acceptance stock opened at $127.01 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $134.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $122.72. World Acceptance Co. has a 1-year low of $101.85 and a 1-year high of $161.63. The company has a market cap of $729.93 million, a PE ratio of 8.87 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 22.46 and a quick ratio of 22.46.

World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The credit services provider reported $2.45 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%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that World Acceptance Co. will post 14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

World Acceptance 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.