Regional Management (NYSE:RM) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to “Buy”

Wall Street Zen cut shares of Regional Management (NYSE:RM) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Saturday morning.

RM has been the topic of a number of other reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Regional Management in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research raised shares of Regional Management from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $30.00.

Regional Management Trading Up 2.9%

RM stock opened at $35.48 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $344.51 million, a PE ratio of 7.97 and a beta of 1.06. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $38.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $38.74. Regional Management has a 12-month low of $25.41 and a 12-month high of $46.00.

Regional Management (NYSE:RM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.07. Regional Management had a return on equity of 12.19% and a net margin of 6.88%.The company had revenue of ($165.49) million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $167.90 million. Equities analysts forecast that Regional Management will post 4.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Regional Management Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. Regional Management’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.97%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Steven B. Barnette sold 1,640 shares of Regional Management stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.00, for a total transaction of $60,680.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 21,338 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $789,506. The trade was a 7.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael R. Dunn sold 5,580 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.46, for a total value of $209,026.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 103,109 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,862,463.14. This represents a 5.13% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 77,475 shares of company stock worth $3,006,040 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 10.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Regional Management

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in RM. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in shares of Regional Management by 2.4% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 16,200 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $487,000 after buying an additional 375 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Regional Management during the 1st quarter worth $201,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Regional Management by 45.5% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 194,374 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $5,853,000 after purchasing an additional 60,744 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of Regional Management by 7.2% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 46,851 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,411,000 after purchasing an additional 3,160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Regional Management in the 1st quarter valued at about $282,000. 98.89% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Regional Management

Regional Management Corp., headquartered in Wilmington, North Carolina, is a consumer finance company specializing in installment loan products for underbanked individuals. Since its founding in 1977, the company has developed a network of field-based branches alongside a digital platform to offer credit solutions in rural and small-town markets across the United States.

The company’s core offerings include consumer installment loans for everyday purchases, auto refinancing and lease buyouts, as well as ancillary services such as insurance referrals.