World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD) Shares Down 3.4% – What’s Next?

World Acceptance Corporation (NASDAQ:WRLD)’s share price traded down 3.4% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $131.01 and last traded at $130.9010. 53,267 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 57% from the average session volume of 123,850 shares. The stock had previously closed at $135.52.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on WRLD. Zacks Research upgraded World Acceptance from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of World Acceptance in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold”.

World Acceptance Stock Down 6.7%

The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $132.43 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $146.46. The stock has a market cap of $624.58 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.11 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 25.01 and a current ratio of 25.01.

World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The credit services provider reported ($0.19) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.58 by ($0.77). The firm had revenue of $128.47 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $133.49 million. World Acceptance had a net margin of 7.46% and a return on equity of 10.80%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that World Acceptance Corporation will post 14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at World Acceptance

In related news, insider John L. Calmes, Jr. sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were 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. The trade was a 1.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 41.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of World Acceptance

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WRLD. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of World Acceptance by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 2,044 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $259,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in World Acceptance by 0.8% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 10,600 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,750,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. lifted its stake in World Acceptance by 2.9% in the second quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 3,480 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $575,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in World Acceptance by 4.6% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,637 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $446,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its position in shares of World Acceptance by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 5,575 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $927,000 after buying an additional 131 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 83.63% of the company’s stock.

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.