Regional Management (NYSE:RM) Cut to “Buy” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Regional Management (NYSE:RM) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Saturday.

RM has been the topic of a number of other reports. Citizens Jmp cut their price objective on Regional Management from $45.00 to $43.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Regional Management from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of Regional Management in a research report on Thursday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $43.00.

Regional Management Trading Up 8.2%

Shares of NYSE:RM opened at $34.93 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $321.67 million, a PE ratio of 7.35 and a beta of 1.02. Regional Management has a 1 year low of $30.46 and a 1 year high of $46.00. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $39.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $36.46. The company has a current ratio of 59.88, a quick ratio of 59.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.30.

Regional Management (NYSE:RM) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The credit services provider reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.81 by $0.04. Regional Management had a net margin of 6.98% and a return on equity of 12.53%. The firm had revenue of $168.01 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $165.69 million.

Regional Management Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 19th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 19th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. Regional Management’s payout ratio is 25.26%.

Insider Activity at Regional Management

In other Regional Management news, CAO Steven B. Barnette sold 3,274 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, July 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.30, for a total value of $141,764.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 13,472 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $583,337.60. This represents a 19.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Sandra K. Johnson sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.00, for a total transaction of $36,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 21,933 shares in the company, valued at $789,588. This represents a 4.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 8,874 shares of company stock worth $350,208 in the last ninety days. 10.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Regional Management

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in shares of Regional Management by 9.9% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 3,876 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $150,000 after purchasing an additional 350 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in Regional Management by 2.4% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 16,200 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $487,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Regional Management by 9.7% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,824 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $141,000 after buying an additional 425 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in Regional Management by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 28,006 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,085,000 after buying an additional 436 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its stake in Regional Management by 2.8% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 17,464 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $563,000 after buying an additional 473 shares in the last quarter. 98.89% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Regional Management

Regional Management Corp., headquartered in Wilmington, North Carolina, is a consumer finance company specializing in installment loan products for underbanked individuals. Since its founding in 1977, the company has developed a network of field-based branches alongside a digital platform to offer credit solutions in rural and small-town markets across the United States.

The company’s core offerings include consumer installment loans for everyday purchases, auto refinancing and lease buyouts, as well as ancillary services such as insurance referrals.