Royce & Associates LP Raises Stock Holdings in World Acceptance Co. (NASDAQ:WRLD)

Royce & Associates LP raised its stake in World Acceptance Co. (NASDAQ:WRLD) by 60.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,535 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,223 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP’s holdings in World Acceptance were worth $960,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of World Acceptance by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 15,776 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,774,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of World Acceptance by 282.9% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 7,657 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $903,000 after acquiring an additional 5,657 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of World Acceptance by 10.0% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 1,791 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $211,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC grew its stake in shares of World Acceptance by 24.0% in the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 8,271 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $976,000 after acquiring an additional 1,601 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of World Acceptance in the fourth quarter worth $1,504,000. 83.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other World Acceptance news, insider Luke J. Umstetter sold 600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total value of $90,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 15,248 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,287,200. This represents a 3.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Scott Mcintyre sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.22, for a total value of $300,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 7,183 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,079,030.26. This represents a 21.78 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 4,188 shares of company stock valued at $619,409 over the last ninety days. 43.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

World Acceptance Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:WRLD opened at $125.40 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $720.67 million, a P/E ratio of 8.76 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 22.46 and a quick ratio of 22.46. World Acceptance Co. has a 1 year low of $101.85 and a 1 year high of $161.63. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $133.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $122.19.

World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The credit services provider reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.23 by $1.22. World Acceptance had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 14.41%. Sell-side analysts expect that World Acceptance Co. will post 14 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com raised World Acceptance from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th.

World Acceptance 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.