Regional Management (NYSE:RM) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Regional Management (NYSE:RM) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report released on Thursday.

Separately, Stephens reiterated an equal weight rating and set a $30.00 price objective on shares of Regional Management in a research note on Thursday, February 8th.

Regional Management Trading Up 7.4 %

Shares of RM traded up $2.10 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $30.44. 58,657 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 25,266. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $24.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $24.19. The company has a current ratio of 41.17, a quick ratio of 41.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.33. The firm has a market cap of $300.44 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.13 and a beta of 1.45. Regional Management has a 12-month low of $20.50 and a 12-month high of $34.60.

Regional Management (NYSE:RM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $1.56 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.69. Regional Management had a net margin of 4.01% and a return on equity of 10.80%. The firm had revenue of $144.31 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $140.02 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.90 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Regional Management will post 4.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Regional Management Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 22nd will be paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.94%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 21st. Regional Management’s dividend payout ratio is currently 52.17%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Regional Management news, Director Basswood Capital Management, L purchased 4,287 shares of Regional Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 7th. The stock was bought at an average price of $22.99 per share, with a total value of $98,558.13. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 470,895 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,825,876.05. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 10.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of RM. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in shares of Regional Management by 53.4% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,974 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $96,000 after purchasing an additional 1,383 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Regional Management during the 4th quarter worth approximately $102,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its holdings in Regional Management by 34.1% in the third quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 9,121 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $258,000 after acquiring an additional 2,317 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its position in Regional Management by 15.3% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 11,548 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $319,000 after acquiring an additional 1,534 shares during the period. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd increased its stake in Regional Management by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd now owns 13,634 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $340,000 after acquiring an additional 957 shares during the last quarter. 98.89% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Regional Management

Regional Management Corp., a diversified consumer finance company, provides various installment loan products primarily to customers with limited access to consumer credit from banks, thrifts, credit card companies, and other lenders in the United States. It offers small and large installment loans; and retail loans to finance the purchase of furniture, appliances, and other retail products.