Prudential Financial Inc. Reduces Position in World Acceptance Co. (NASDAQ:WRLD)

Prudential Financial Inc. reduced its stake in World Acceptance Co. (NASDAQ:WRLD) by 5.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,501 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 190 shares during the quarter. Prudential Financial Inc.’s holdings in World Acceptance were worth $394,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in World Acceptance in the 4th quarter valued at about $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 valued at $97,000 after buying an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Amundi raised its position 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 valued at $180,000 after buying an additional 1,053 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of World Acceptance by 10.0% during the third 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. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its position in World Acceptance by 282.9% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 7,657 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $903,000 after acquiring an additional 5,657 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.63% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at World Acceptance

In other World Acceptance news, SVP Scott Mcintyre sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The stock was 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 owns 7,183 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,079,030.26. The trade was a 21.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Luke J. Umstetter sold 488 shares of the company’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 sale, the insider now owns 14,760 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,216,804.40. This represents a 3.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,188 shares of company stock worth $619,409 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 43.20% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded World Acceptance from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Sunday.

World Acceptance Stock Performance

NASDAQ WRLD opened at $126.18 on Thursday. World Acceptance Co. has a twelve month low of $101.85 and a twelve month high of $161.63. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $131.34 and its 200 day moving average price is $122.87. 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 company has a market capitalization of $725.16 million, a PE ratio of 8.81 and a beta of 1.35.

World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD) last released its earnings results 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 net margin of 14.41% and a return on equity of 19.03%. On average, research analysts predict that World Acceptance Co. will post 14 earnings per share for the current year.

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.