PRA Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:PRAA) Short Interest Update

PRA Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:PRAA) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 1,481,815 shares, an increase of 17.0% from the February 12th total of 1,266,499 shares. Currently, 3.9% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 745,164 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.0 days. Based on an average daily volume of 745,164 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.0 days. Currently, 3.9% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on PRAA shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of PRA Group in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Citizens Jmp cut shares of PRA Group from a “market outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Citigroup downgraded shares of PRA Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered PRA Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, PRA Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $25.00.

PRA Group Stock Up 2.3%

NASDAQ PRAA opened at $17.11 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $657.88 million, a PE ratio of -2.19 and a beta of 1.23. PRA Group has a 12-month low of $10.25 and a 12-month high of $22.01. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $14.54 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $15.44.

PRA Group (NASDAQ:PRAA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The business services provider reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.50 by $0.96. PRA Group had a negative net margin of 25.39% and a positive return on equity of 10.50%. The company had revenue of $333.39 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $288.86 million. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that PRA Group will post 2.1 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PRA Group

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of PRA Group by 301.0% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,684 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 1,264 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of PRA Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of PRA Group by 145.6% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,481 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 1,471 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of PRA Group by 146.8% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,848 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 1,694 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC raised its stake in shares of PRA Group by 140.0% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,618 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 2,694 shares in the last quarter. 97.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

PRA Group Company Profile

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.