PRA Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:PRAA) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of PRA Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:PRAA) have been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the five brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $25.00.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on PRAA shares. Citizens Jmp lowered PRA Group from a “market outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Citigroup lowered PRA Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of PRA Group in a report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised PRA Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th.

PRA Group Trading Up 2.7%

PRAA stock opened at $15.04 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $573.63 million, a PE ratio of -2.10 and a beta of 1.26. PRA Group has a 1-year low of $10.25 and a 1-year high of $22.55. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $18.33 and its 200 day simple moving average is $16.50.

PRA Group (NASDAQ:PRAA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The business services provider reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.22. The business had revenue of $314.53 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $295.90 million. PRA Group had a positive return on equity of 13.19% and a negative net margin of 22.51%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that PRA Group will post 2.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PRAA. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its holdings in shares of PRA Group by 5.6% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 14,523 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $214,000 after purchasing an additional 768 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of PRA Group by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 11,728 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $181,000 after purchasing an additional 781 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth grew its holdings in shares of PRA Group by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 94,900 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,679,000 after purchasing an additional 927 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of PRA Group by 8.8% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 12,051 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $213,000 after purchasing an additional 974 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mariner LLC grew its holdings in shares of PRA Group by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 31,045 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $479,000 after purchasing an additional 975 shares in the last quarter. 97.22% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About PRA Group

PRA Group, Inc is a global specialty finance company focused on the acquisition and management of nonperforming loans. Founded in 1996 as Portfolio Recovery Associates, the company purchases defaulted consumer and commercial receivables at discounted rates from financial institutions, utilities and other creditors. By combining rigorous analytics with a consumer-centric ethos, PRA Group seeks to maximize recoveries while maintaining respectful and compliant interactions with debtors.

The company’s core activities include first-party and third-party collections across a range of asset classes such as credit cards, auto loans and utility receivables.