World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD) Upgraded at Weiss Ratings

Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD) from a hold (c+) rating to a buy (b-) rating in a report issued on Wednesday morning,Weiss Ratings reports.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Zacks Research raised World Acceptance from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. Wall Street Zen lowered World Acceptance from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $10.00.

World Acceptance Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WRLD opened at $164.99 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $170.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $155.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $899.20 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.13 and a beta of 1.35. World Acceptance has a one year low of $104.99 and a one year high of $185.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 17.83 and a quick ratio of 17.83.

World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.44 by ($2.19). The company had revenue of $132.45 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $122.38 million. World Acceptance had a return on equity of 18.95% and a net margin of 14.29%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that World Acceptance will post 14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at World Acceptance

In other World Acceptance news, insider Daniel Clinton Dyer sold 4,704 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.50, for a total value of $750,288.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 42,714 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,812,883. The trade was a 9.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ken R. Bramlett, Jr. sold 3,389 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.19, for a total value of $566,606.91. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 32,205 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,384,353.95. The trade was a 9.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 356,559 shares of company stock valued at $61,548,969. Insiders own 41.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On World Acceptance

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WRLD. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC raised its holdings in shares of World Acceptance by 6.1% during the first quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 4,743 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $600,000 after acquiring an additional 273 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of World Acceptance by 570.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 369 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 314 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of World Acceptance by 2.4% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 16,162 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,045,000 after acquiring an additional 386 shares in the last quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of World Acceptance during the first quarter valued at approximately $368,000. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in shares of World Acceptance during the first quarter valued at approximately $402,000. Institutional investors 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.