PRA Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:PRAA) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of PRA Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:PRAA) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the five analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $25.00.

A number of brokerages have weighed in on PRAA. Citigroup downgraded PRA Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Zacks Research downgraded PRA Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of PRA Group in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Citizens Jmp downgraded PRA Group from a “market outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PRA Group

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in PRA Group by 5.6% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 14,523 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $214,000 after purchasing an additional 768 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System grew its stake in shares of PRA Group by 7.1% during the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 11,728 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $181,000 after buying an additional 781 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth grew its stake in shares of PRA Group by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 94,900 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,679,000 after buying an additional 927 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of PRA Group by 8.8% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 12,051 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $213,000 after buying an additional 974 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mariner LLC increased its holdings in shares of PRA Group by 3.2% during the third quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 31,045 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $479,000 after buying an additional 975 shares in the last quarter. 97.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PRA Group Trading Up 2.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:PRAA opened at $22.23 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $17.99 and a 200-day moving average of $16.18. PRA Group has a 12 month low of $10.25 and a 12 month high of $22.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $854.74 million, a PE ratio of -2.85 and a beta of 1.26.

PRA Group (NASDAQ:PRAA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The business services provider reported $1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.50 by $0.96. The business had revenue of $333.39 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $288.86 million. PRA Group had a negative net margin of 25.39% and a positive return on equity of 10.50%. On average, research analysts predict that PRA Group will post 2.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PRA Group Company Profile

PRA Group, Inc is a global specialty finance company focused on the acquisition and management of nonperforming loans. Founded in 1996 as Portfolio Recovery Associates, the company purchases defaulted consumer and commercial receivables at discounted rates from financial institutions, utilities and other creditors. By combining rigorous analytics with a consumer-centric ethos, PRA Group seeks to maximize recoveries while maintaining respectful and compliant interactions with debtors.

The company’s core activities include first-party and third-party collections across a range of asset classes such as credit cards, auto loans and utility receivables.