World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD) was downgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

World Acceptance Stock Up 2.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:WRLD opened at $140.55 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $126.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $125.09. World Acceptance has a 12-month low of $101.85 and a 12-month high of $161.63. 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 $807.74 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.81 and a beta of 1.29.

World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The credit services provider reported $8.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.42 by $1.71. The business had revenue of $165.27 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $154.52 million. World Acceptance had a net margin of 14.41% and a return on equity of 19.03%. Sell-side analysts expect that World Acceptance will post 14 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Jason E. Childers sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.58, for a total transaction of $71,790.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,039 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,154,239.62. The trade was a 5.86 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Luke J. Umstetter sold 488 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.19, for a total value of $73,292.72. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 14,760 shares in the company, valued at $2,216,804.40. This represents a 3.20 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 2,988 shares of company stock valued at $445,523 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 43.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On World Acceptance

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of World Acceptance by 282.9% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in World Acceptance by 49.6% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 21,774 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,569,000 after buying an additional 7,223 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its stake in World Acceptance by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 11,521 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,295,000 after buying an additional 708 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in shares of World Acceptance by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 22,497 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,530,000 after acquiring an additional 1,067 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of World Acceptance by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 15,776 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,774,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.63% of the company’s stock.

World Acceptance Company 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.