Atlanticus Reports Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results
Rhea-AI Summary
Atlanticus (NASDAQ: ATLC) reported record second quarter 2026 results, with net income attributable to common shareholders of $47.4 million, up 67.2% year over year, or $2.50 diluted EPS. Total operating revenue and other income rose 89.0% to a record $744.3 million, driven largely by the acquisition of the Mercury credit card portfolio.
Managed receivables increased 126.2% to $6.9 billion, including $3.0 billion associated with Mercury, while total accounts served grew 57.8% to 6.3 million. Atlanticus reported purchase volume of $1,756.6 million, record new customers of over 790,000, and a 28.1% return on average equity. Interest expense rose to $123.4 million and changes in fair value of loans to $(396.3) million, reflecting a much larger receivable base and higher borrowing.
Positive
- Net income attributable to common shareholders up 67.2% to $47.4M
- Diluted EPS increased to $2.50 from $1.51 year over year
- Total operating revenue and other income up 89.0% to $744.3M
- Managed receivables grew 126.2% to $6.9B, including $3.0B from Mercury
- Return on average equity reached 28.1% in Q2 2026
- Total accounts served rose 57.8% to 6.3M, with >790,000 new customers
Negative
- Interest expense rose 129.9% to $123.4M in Q2 2026
- Changes in fair value of loans increased to $(396.3)M from $(216.8)M
- Total operating expenses rose 91.7% versus Q2 2025
- Notes payable tied to card platform increased to $5.55B from $2.43B
- Company expects higher quarterly interest expense throughout 2026
- Management anticipates higher marketing and compensation costs in 2026
News Explained
At June 30, 15,170,081 common shares were outstanding versus 14,922,462 at December 31, lowering existing holders’ percentage ownership absent offsetting changes.
The second-quarter report shows Atlanticus had
Under the supplied dilution definition, the higher common-share count reduces an existing holder’s percentage ownership absent offsetting changes.
At
On this balance-sheet comparison, cash and notes payable were lower at quarter-end while total shareholders’ equity was higher, so the disclosure shows a changed financing and liquidity position without establishing a net cash effect for common holders.
The company also anticipates additional debt financing over the next few quarters and expects quarterly interest expense to increase compared with prior periods throughout 2026.
Key Figures
Previous Earnings Reports
| Date | Event | Sentiment | 24h Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 07 | 1Q26 earnings | Positive | +8.3% | Revenue, receivables, earnings, and return on equity increased with Mercury integration. |
| Apr 30 | Earnings call notice | Neutral | -1.7% | Company scheduled its first-quarter results discussion and webcast for May 7. |
| Mar 12 | 4Q25 earnings | Positive | -9.1% | Revenue and earnings increased despite higher interest, fair-value, and integration costs. |
| Mar 06 | Earnings call notice | Neutral | -6.4% | Company scheduled its fourth-quarter and full-year results discussion for March 12. |
| Nov 10 | 3Q25 earnings | Positive | -5.6% | Mercury acquisition expanded receivables and revenue while common earnings declined. |
24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.
Earnings-specific history was mixed: the latest quarterly report rose 8.26%, while three earlier earnings reports declined and the tag-specific average move was -2.91%.
Key Terms
non-GAAP financial measure financial
return on average equity financial
charge-offs financial
contingent consideration financial
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
Second Quarter Earnings of
ATLANTA, Aug. 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Atlanticus Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: ATLC) (Atlanticus, the Company, we, our or us), a financial technology company that enables its bank, retail and healthcare partners to offer more inclusive financial services to millions of Everyday Americans, today announced its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2026. An accompanying earnings presentation is available in the Investors section of the Company’s website at www.atlanticus.com or by clicking here.
Financial and Operating Highlights
Second Quarter 2026 Highlights (all comparisons to the Second Quarter 2025, unless otherwise indicated)
- Record net income attributable to common shareholders of
$47.4 million , an increase of67.2% , or$2.50 per diluted common share - Total operating revenue and other income increased
89.0% to a record$744.3 million - Managed receivables1 increased
126.2% to$6.9 billion - Return on average equity of
28.1% 2 - Purchase volume of
$1,756.6 million - Total accounts served in excess of 6.3 million3
- Record new customers served of over 790,000 added in the second quarter 2026
1) Managed receivables is a non-GAAP financial measure and excludes the results of our Auto Finance receivables. See Calculation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures for important additional information.
2) Return on average equity is calculated using Net income attributable to common shareholders as the numerator and the average of Total shareholders’ equity attributable to Atlanticus Holdings Corporation as of June 30, 2026 and March 31, 2026 as the denominator, annualized.
3 ) In our calculation of total accounts served, we include all accounts with account activity and accounts that have open lines of credit at the end of the referenced period.
Management Commentary
Jeff Howard, President and Chief Executive Officer of Atlanticus stated, ”This month marks the 30th anniversary of the founding of our company. Over our 30 year history, we have funded over
This quarter also produced several financial milestones as we established records for new customers served of over 790,000, record total customers served of over 6.3 million, record revenue of
Finally, we once again exceeded our return on capital target, achieving a return on average equity of
Over our 30 year history our business has changed in many ways. But our culture of collective success and our commitment to our purpose have never wavered. It is our team, built on our aggregated experiences, that makes Atlanticus an industry leader. This team, combined with industry leading products, technology, and scale, have Atlanticus better positioned than at any other time in our history.”
| Financial Results | For the Three Months Ended June 30, | ||||
| (Dollars in thousands, except per share data) | 2026 | 2025 | % Change | ||
| Total operating revenue and other income | |||||
| Other non-operating income | 9 | 343 | nm | ||
| Total revenue and other income | 744,323 | 394,163 | |||
| Interest expense | (123,431) | (53,684) | |||
| Provision for credit losses | (1,038) | (1,382) | nm | ||
| Changes in fair value of loans | (396,280) | (216,777) | |||
| Net margin | |||||
| Total operating expenses | ( | ( | |||
| Net income | |||||
| Net income attributable to controlling interests | |||||
| Preferred stock and preferred unit dividends and discount accretion | (2,308) | (2,222) | nm | ||
| Net income attributable to common shareholders | |||||
| Net income attributable to common shareholders per common share—basic | |||||
| Net income attributable to common shareholders per common share—diluted | |||||
*nm = not meaningful
Managed Receivables
Managed receivables increased
Total Operating Revenue and Other Income
Total operating revenue and other income consists of 1) interest income, finance charges and late fees on consumer loans, 2) other revenues associated with credit products, including annual and merchant fees and 3) interchange and servicing income on loan portfolios and other customer related fees.
We are currently experiencing continued period-over-period increases in private label credit and general purpose credit card receivables. Growth in these receivables includes general purpose credit card receivables associated with our acquisition, which accounted for
During the quarter ended June 30, 2026, total operating revenue and other income increased
Interest Expense
Interest expense was
Outstanding notes payable, net of unamortized debt issuance costs and discounts, associated with our private label credit and general purpose credit card platform (including those associated with the Mercury acquisition) increased to
Changes in Fair Value of Loans
Changes in fair value of loans increased to
We include asset performance degradation in our forecasts to reflect both changes in assumed asset level economics and the possibility of delinquency rates increasing in the near term (and the corresponding increase in charge-offs and decrease in payments) above the level that current trends would suggest.
Total Operating Expenses
Total operating expenses increased
We expect some continued increase in year over year salaries and benefits in 2026 compared to corresponding periods in 2025 resulting from the acquisition of Mercury and its associated employee base.
As many of our expenses associated with our card and loan servicing efforts are now variable based on the amount of underlying receivables, we would expect certain expenses to continue to grow in 2026 commensurate with planned growth in our receivables balances. These expenses will primarily relate to the variable costs card and loan servicing expenses associated with new receivable acquisitions.
In addition, as we continue to adjust our underwriting standards to reflect changes in fee and finance assumptions on new receivables, and allow for overall increases in the cost to successfully market to consumers, we expect period over period marketing costs for 2026 to increase relative to those experienced in 2025. The frequency and timing of increased marketing efforts could vary and are dependent on macroeconomic factors, response rates and approval rates.
Net Income Attributable to Common Shareholders
Net income attributable to common shareholders increased
Share Repurchases
We repurchased and retired 996 shares of our common stock in the quarter ended June 30, 2026.
About Atlanticus Holdings Corporation
Empowering Better Financial Outcomes for Everyday Americans
Atlanticus Holdings Corporation empowers better financial outcomes for Everyday Americans by enabling bank, retail, healthcare, and automotive partners to offer more inclusive financial solutions to consumers. Leveraging proprietary technology and advanced analytics, Atlanticus applies more than 30 years of operating experience, servicing over 23 million customers and more than
Atlanticus is guided by the principles of responsible lending, smart innovation, and expanding access to credit for consumers working toward a stronger financial future.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect the Company's current views with respect to, among other things, expectations for the benefits of the acquisition of Mercury, including expected synergies and future financial and operating results; the Company’s plans, objectives, expectations and intentions for Mercury including the product, policy and pricing changes to the acquired portfolio and the timing and results related thereto; long-term growth plans and opportunities; operations; financial performance; amount and pace of growth of managed receivables; mix of receivables; fair value of receivables; debt financing; interest expense; operating expense; and marketing efforts. You generally can identify these statements by the use of words such as outlook, potential, continue, may, seek, approximately, predict, believe, expect, plan, intend, estimate or anticipate and similar expressions or the negative versions of these words or comparable words, as well as future or conditional verbs such as will, should, would, likely and could. These statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those included in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include those risks described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and include, but are not limited to, risks related to the integration of the Mercury business and the management of the Mercury portfolio; bank partners; merchant partners; consumers; loan demand; the capital markets; labor availability; supply chains and the economy in general; the Company's ability to retain existing, and attract new, merchant partners and funding sources; changes in market interest rates; increases in loan delinquencies; its ability to operate successfully in a highly regulated industry; the outcome of litigation and regulatory matters; the effect of management changes; cyberattacks and security vulnerabilities in its products and services; and the Company's ability to compete successfully in highly competitive markets. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and, except to the extent required by federal securities laws, the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. In light of these risks and uncertainties, there is no assurance that the events or results suggested by the forward-looking statements will in fact occur, and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.
Contact:
Investor Relations
investors@atlanticus.com
Dan Mauch, daniel.mauch@atlanticus.com
Sara Savarino, sara.savarino@atlanticus.com
| Atlanticus Holdings Corporation and Subsidiaries | |||||||
| Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited) | |||||||
| (Dollars in thousands) | |||||||
| June 30, | December 31, | ||||||
| 2026 | 2025 | ||||||
| Assets | |||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents (including | $ | 555,215 | $ | 621,093 | |||
| Restricted cash and cash equivalents (including | 89,965 | 146,314 | |||||
| Loans at fair value (including | 6,658,748 | 6,647,882 | |||||
| Loans at amortized cost, net (including | 77,731 | 82,884 | |||||
| Property at cost, net of depreciation | 10,867 | 12,589 | |||||
| Intangible assets | 25,130 | 30,268 | |||||
| Operating lease right-of-use assets | 13,886 | 15,104 | |||||
| Prepaid expenses and other assets, net | 60,228 | 66,954 | |||||
| Total assets | $ | 7,491,770 | $ | 7,623,088 | |||
| Liabilities | |||||||
| Accounts payable and accrued expenses | $ | 275,313 | $ | 284,514 | |||
| Operating lease liabilities | 23,568 | 25,283 | |||||
| Notes payable, net (including | 5,578,882 | 5,818,761 | |||||
| Senior notes, net | 692,117 | 698,562 | |||||
| Income tax liability | 184,414 | 152,138 | |||||
| Total liabilities | 6,754,294 | 6,979,258 | |||||
| Commitments and contingencies | |||||||
| Preferred stock, no par value, 10,000,000 shares authorized: | |||||||
| Series A preferred stock, 400,000 shares issued and outstanding (liquidation preference - | 40,000 | 40,000 | |||||
| Commitments and contingencies (Note 10) | – | – | |||||
| Shareholders' Equity | |||||||
| Series B preferred stock, no par value, 3,584,646 shares issued and outstanding at June 30, 2026 (liquidation preference - | – | – | |||||
| Common stock, no par value, 150,000,000 shares authorized: 15,170,081 and 14,922,462 shares issued and outstanding at June 30, 2026 and December 31, 2025, respectively | – | – | |||||
| Paid-in capital | 106,177 | 102,276 | |||||
| Retained earnings | 595,702 | 506,424 | |||||
| Total shareholders’ equity attributable to Atlanticus Holdings Corporation | 701,879 | 608,700 | |||||
| Noncontrolling interests | (4,403 | ) | (4,870 | ) | |||
| Total equity | 697,476 | 603,830 | |||||
| Total liabilities, shareholders' equity and temporary equity | $ | 7,491,770 | $ | 7,623,088 | |||
(1) Both the Series A preferred stock and the Series B preferred stock have no par value and are part of the same aggregate 10,000,000 shares authorized.
| Atlanticus Holdings Corporation and Subsidiaries | ||||||||||||||||
| Consolidated Statements of Income (Unaudited) | ||||||||||||||||
| (Dollars in thousands, except per share data) | ||||||||||||||||
| For the Three Months Ended | For the Six Months Ended | |||||||||||||||
| June 30, | June 30, | |||||||||||||||
| 2026 | 2025 | 2026 | 2025 | |||||||||||||
| Revenue and other income: | ||||||||||||||||
| Consumer loans, including past due fees | $ | 545,086 | $ | 276,350 | $ | 1,074,531 | $ | 524,005 | ||||||||
| Fees and related income on earning assets | 150,878 | 94,285 | 261,307 | 172,626 | ||||||||||||
| Other revenue | 48,350 | 23,185 | 88,010 | 42,062 | ||||||||||||
| Total operating revenue and other income | 744,314 | 393,820 | 1,423,848 | 738,693 | ||||||||||||
| Other non-operating income | 9 | 343 | 64 | 636 | ||||||||||||
| Total revenue and other income | 744,323 | 394,163 | 1,423,912 | 739,329 | ||||||||||||
| Interest expense | (123,431 | ) | (53,684 | ) | (246,192 | ) | (101,214 | ) | ||||||||
| Provision for credit losses | (1,038 | ) | (1,382 | ) | (2,638 | ) | (2,450 | ) | ||||||||
| Changes in fair value of loans | (396,280 | ) | (216,777 | ) | (761,804 | ) | (395,122 | ) | ||||||||
| Net margin | 223,574 | 122,320 | 413,278 | 240,543 | ||||||||||||
| Operating expenses: | ||||||||||||||||
| Salaries and benefits | (27,250 | ) | (13,381 | ) | (55,896 | ) | (28,884 | ) | ||||||||
| Card and loan servicing | (57,863 | ) | (34,085 | ) | (102,781 | ) | (66,237 | ) | ||||||||
| Marketing and solicitation | (48,130 | ) | (24,949 | ) | (84,603 | ) | (45,283 | ) | ||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | (3,592 | ) | (885 | ) | (7,178 | ) | (1,682 | ) | ||||||||
| Other | (20,732 | ) | (8,874 | ) | (37,965 | ) | (17,443 | ) | ||||||||
| Total operating expenses | (157,567 | ) | (82,174 | ) | (288,423 | ) | (159,529 | ) | ||||||||
| Income before income taxes | 66,007 | 40,146 | 124,855 | 81,014 | ||||||||||||
| Income tax expense | (16,286 | ) | (9,856 | ) | (30,557 | ) | (19,602 | ) | ||||||||
| Net income | 49,721 | 30,290 | 94,298 | 61,412 | ||||||||||||
| Net (loss) income attributable to noncontrolling interests | (2 | ) | 283 | (404 | ) | 681 | ||||||||||
| Net income attributable to controlling interests | 49,719 | 30,573 | 93,894 | 62,093 | ||||||||||||
| Preferred stock and preferred unit dividends and discount accretion | (2,308 | ) | (2,222 | ) | (4,616 | ) | (5,796 | ) | ||||||||
| Net income attributable to common shareholders | $ | 47,411 | $ | 28,351 | $ | 89,278 | $ | 56,297 | ||||||||
| Net income attributable to common shareholders per common share—basic | $ | 3.13 | $ | 1.87 | $ | 5.93 | $ | 3.72 | ||||||||
| Net income attributable to common shareholders per common share—diluted | $ | 2.50 | $ | 1.51 | $ | 4.74 | $ | 3.00 | ||||||||
Additional Information
Additional trends and data with respect to our private label credit and general purpose credit card receivables can be found in our latest Form 10-Q filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission under Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
Calculation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures
This press release presents information about managed receivables, which is a non-GAAP financial measure provided as a supplement to the results provided in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP). In addition to financial measures presented in accordance with GAAP, we present managed receivables, total managed yield, combined principal net charge-offs, and fair value to total managed receivables ratio, all of which are non-GAAP financial measures. These non-GAAP financial measures aid in the evaluation of the performance of our credit portfolios, including our risk management, servicing and collection activities and our valuation of purchased receivables. The credit performance of our managed receivables provides information concerning the quality of loan originations and the related credit risks inherent with the portfolios. Management relies heavily upon financial data and results prepared on the managed basis in order to manage our business, make planning decisions, evaluate our performance and allocate resources.
These non-GAAP financial measures are presented for supplemental informational purposes only. These non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as analytical tools and should not be considered in isolation from, or as a substitute for, GAAP financial measures. These non-GAAP financial measures may differ from the non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies. A reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures or the calculation of the non-GAAP financial measures are provided below for each of the fiscal periods indicated.
Additionally, we calculate average managed receivables based on the quarter-end balances.
The comparison of non-GAAP managed receivables to our GAAP financial statements requires an understanding that managed receivables reflect the face value of loans, interest and fees receivable without any consideration for potential loan losses or other adjustments to reflect fair value.
A reconciliation of Loans at fair value to Total managed receivables is as follows:
| At or for the Three Months Ended | ||||||||
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | ||||||
| (in Millions) | Jun. 30 | Mar. 31 | Dec. 31 | Sep. 30 | Jun. 30 | Mar. 31 | Dec. 31 | Sep. 30 |
| Loans at fair value | ||||||||
| Fair value mark against receivable (1) | 232.5 | 272.8 | 305.5 | 250.1 | 41.8 | 37.8 | 94.5 | 142.5 |
| Total managed receivables (2) | ||||||||
| Fair value to Total managed receivables ratio (3) | ||||||||
(1) The fair value mark against receivables reflects the difference between the face value of a receivable and the
net present value of the expected cash flows associated with that receivable.
(2) Total managed receivables are equal to the aggregate unpaid gross balance of loans at fair value.
(3) The Fair value to Total managed receivable ratio is calculated using Loans at fair value as the numerator, and Total managed receivables,
as the denominator.
A reconciliation of our operating revenues and other income, net of finance and fee charge-offs, to comparable amounts used in our calculation of Total managed yield is as follows:
| At or for the Three Months Ended | ||||||||
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | ||||||
| (in Millions) | Jun. 30 | Mar. 31 | Dec. 31 | Sep. 30 | Jun. 30 | Mar. 31 | Dec. 31 | Sep. 30 |
| Consumer loans, including past due fees | ||||||||
| Fees and related income on earning assets | 150.5 | 110.1 | 155.8 | 122.5 | 94.3 | 78.3 | 83.8 | 78.5 |
| Other revenue | 48.2 | 39.4 | 39.5 | 30.4 | 23.0 | 18.7 | 17.5 | 16.8 |
| Total operating revenue and other income - CaaS Segment | 734.2 | 669.4 | 724.0 | 484.6 | 384.5 | 335.5 | 343.4 | 340.6 |
| Adjustments due to acceleration of merchant fee discount amortization under fair value accounting | (13.4) | 9.6 | (6.1) | (16.0) | (26.6) | 0.1 | 0.7 | (15.1) |
| Adjustments due to acceleration of annual fees recognition under fair value accounting | (7.1) | 9.6 | (8.3) | (24.4) | (8.8) | (4.2) | (10.5) | (8.0) |
| Removal of finance charge-offs | (131.4) | (114.7) | (114.1) | (78.8) | (68.2) | (70.0) | (64.9) | (60.6) |
| Total managed yield | ||||||||
The calculation of Combined principal net charge-offs is as
| At or for the Three Months Ended | ||||||||
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | ||||||
| (in Millions) | Jun. 30 | Mar. 31 | Dec. 31 | Sep. 30 | Jun. 30 | Mar. 31 | Dec. 31 | Sep. 30 |
| Charge-offs on loans at fair value | ||||||||
| Finance charge-offs (1) | (131.4) | (114.7) | (114.1) | (78.8) | (68.2) | (70.0) | (64.9) | (60.6) |
| Combined principal net charge-offs | ||||||||
(1) Finance charge-offs are included as a component of our Changes in fair value of loans in the consolidated statements of income.
