World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD) Insider Daniel Clinton Dyer Sells 8,857 Shares

World Acceptance Corporation (NASDAQ:WRLD) insider Daniel Clinton Dyer sold 8,857 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.00, for a total value of $1,319,693.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 33,640 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,012,360. The trade was a 20.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

World Acceptance Trading Up 0.7%

WRLD stock traded up $1.06 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $147.90. 23,813 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 47,319. World Acceptance Corporation has a 12-month low of $104.99 and a 12-month high of $185.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $745.39 million, a P/E ratio of 14.15 and a beta of 1.08. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $149.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $160.47. The company has a quick ratio of 24.16, a current ratio of 24.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60.

World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported ($0.38) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by ($2.25). World Acceptance had a net margin of 10.00% and a return on equity of 13.65%. The firm had revenue of $120.12 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $127.85 million. On average, equities research analysts predict that World Acceptance Corporation will post 14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on WRLD shares. Zacks Research lowered World Acceptance from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of World Acceptance in a research note on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, World Acceptance presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On World Acceptance

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in World Acceptance by 2.2% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 349,238 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $44,196,000 after purchasing an additional 7,429 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in World Acceptance by 4.7% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 20,685 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,618,000 after acquiring an additional 929 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in shares of World Acceptance during the first quarter worth about $1,356,000. Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its position in shares of World Acceptance by 74.7% in the 1st quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 13,971 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,768,000 after purchasing an additional 5,974 shares during the period. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position 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 worth $104,000 after buying an additional 736 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.