World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD) Shares Gap Up – Still a Buy?

World Acceptance Corporation (NASDAQ:WRLD)’s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $141.38, but opened at $150.47. World Acceptance shares last traded at $153.6710, with a volume of 8,572 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WRLD has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of World Acceptance in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Zacks Research raised World Acceptance from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold”.

World Acceptance Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $745.03 million, a PE ratio of 19.35 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 25.01 and a quick ratio of 25.01. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $136.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $142.14.

World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The credit services provider reported ($0.19) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.58 by ($0.77). World Acceptance had a net margin of 7.46% and a return on equity of 10.80%. The company had revenue of $128.47 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $133.49 million.

Insider Activity at World Acceptance

In other news, insider John L. Calmes, Jr. sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.88, for a total transaction of $141,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 50,334 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,141,387.92. This represents a 1.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 41.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On World Acceptance

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of World Acceptance by 11.6% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 33,047 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $4,639,000 after purchasing an additional 3,445 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of World Acceptance by 7.8% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 27,022 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,794,000 after purchasing an additional 1,952 shares during the last quarter. Smith Thomas W purchased a new stake in shares of World Acceptance during the fourth quarter valued at $10,894,000. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of World Acceptance during the fourth quarter valued at $961,000. Finally, Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of World Acceptance by 680.5% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 67,649 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $9,497,000 after purchasing an additional 58,982 shares during the last quarter. 83.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

World Acceptance Company Profile

World Acceptance Corporation (NASDAQ: WRLD) is a consumer finance company headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina. Founded in 1972, the company provides credit solutions to underserved customers who may have limited access to traditional banking services. Over the decades, World Acceptance has built a reputation for tailored lending that emphasizes responsible underwriting and personalized customer service.

The company’s core product offerings include short-term installment loans designed to meet the immediate financial needs of its clients.