StockNews.com Lowers Regional Management (NYSE:RM) to Buy

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Regional Management (NYSE:RM) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday morning.

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

Regional Management Stock Performance

Shares of RM opened at $24.20 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.33, a current ratio of 41.17 and a quick ratio of 41.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $236.19 million, a PE ratio of 14.76 and a beta of 1.47. Regional Management has a 12-month low of $20.50 and a 12-month high of $34.60. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $23.80 and its 200 day moving average price is $24.50.

Regional Management (NYSE:RM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The credit services provider reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $141.66 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $140.68 million. Regional Management had a return on equity of 8.85% and a net margin of 2.89%. Equities research analysts forecast that Regional Management will post 4.07 EPS for the current year.

Regional Management Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 22nd were issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.96%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 21st. Regional Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.17%.

Insider Activity at Regional Management

In related news, Director Basswood Capital Management, L sold 13,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.36, for a total value of $290,680.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 486,365 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,875,121.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 9.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Regional Management

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in Regional Management in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its stake in Regional Management by 145.6% in the first quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,999 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 1,185 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP increased its position in Regional Management by 120.0% in the 1st quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 1,100 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Regional Management during the third quarter worth approximately $70,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA lifted its stake in shares of Regional Management by 76.4% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA now owns 1,977 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $74,000 after buying an additional 856 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.89% of the company’s stock.

About Regional Management

Regional Management Corp., a diversified consumer finance company, engages in the provision of 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 secured by non-essential household goods and/or vehicles; and retail loans to finance the purchase of furniture, appliances, and other retail products.