America’s Car-Mart, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRMT) Short Interest Update

America’s Car-Mart, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRMT) saw a large decrease in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 1,035,544 shares, a decrease of 37.1% from the December 15th total of 1,645,584 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 221,138 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.7 days. Approximately 15.3% of the company’s stock are short sold. Approximately 15.3% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 221,138 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.7 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On America’s Car-Mart

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in America’s Car-Mart by 492.5% in the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,191 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 990 shares in the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of America’s Car-Mart by 48.2% during the third quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 3,699 shares of the company’s stock valued at $108,000 after purchasing an additional 1,203 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in shares of America’s Car-Mart by 264.3% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,408 shares of the company’s stock valued at $135,000 after purchasing an additional 1,747 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in America’s Car-Mart in the third quarter worth about $137,000. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC grew its position in America’s Car-Mart by 35.5% in the 2nd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 2,705 shares of the company’s stock valued at $152,000 after buying an additional 708 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.10% of the company’s stock.

America’s Car-Mart Stock Performance

Shares of America’s Car-Mart stock traded up $0.12 on Friday, reaching $28.37. 49,982 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 89,946. The firm has a market cap of $235.16 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -16.08 and a beta of 1.12. America’s Car-Mart has a 1-year low of $17.78 and a 1-year high of $62.72. The company’s 50-day moving average is $23.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $34.30.

America’s Car-Mart (NASDAQ:CRMT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, December 4th. The company reported ($0.79) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.60 by ($1.39). The company had revenue of $350.19 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $344.84 million. America’s Car-Mart had a positive return on equity of 0.28% and a negative net margin of 1.04%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that America’s Car-Mart will post 0.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CRMT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of America’s Car-Mart in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of America’s Car-Mart from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, November 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, America’s Car-Mart presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $45.00.

About America’s Car-Mart

America’s Car-Mart, Inc operates as a retailer and financer of used automobiles, specializing in serving customers with limited credit histories through an in-house “buy-here, pay-here” financing model. The company’s dealerships offer a selection of late-model, pre-owned vehicles across a range of makes and models, supported by on-site service centers and extended warranty products. In addition to vehicle sales, America’s Car-Mart generates revenue from finance charges, insurance products and ancillary services such as GAP coverage and credit life and disability insurance.

Founded in 1981 in Forrest City, Arkansas, America’s Car-Mart has grown from a single dealership into a publicly traded company listed on the Nasdaq under the ticker CRMT.