Wall Street Zen Upgrades World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD) to Strong-Buy

World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report released on Monday.

World Acceptance Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WRLD opened at $151.12 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 22.46, a current ratio of 22.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $868.49 million, a PE ratio of 10.55 and a beta of 1.29. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $132.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $127.61. World Acceptance has a twelve month low of $101.85 and a twelve month high of $161.63.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Alice Lindsay Caulder sold 1,010 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total value of $151,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 10,315 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,547,250. This represents a 8.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 43.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of World Acceptance by 72.1% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 265 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of World Acceptance by 570.9% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 369 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 314 shares in the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in shares of World Acceptance during the fourth quarter worth $56,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in World Acceptance by 876.2% during the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 820 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $104,000 after acquiring an additional 736 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi grew its stake in World Acceptance by 195.7% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 1,591 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $180,000 after acquiring an additional 1,053 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.63% of the company’s stock.

About World Acceptance

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.