EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) CRO Sells $597,415.50 in Stock

EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) CRO Nicole Swies sold 24,138 shares of EZCORP stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.75, for a total value of $597,415.50. Following the sale, the executive directly owned 115,266 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,852,833.50. This represents a 17.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

EZCORP Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:EZPW opened at $25.37 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 4.69, a current ratio of 6.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. EZCORP, Inc. has a 52-week low of $12.85 and a 52-week high of $26.35. The stock has a market cap of $1.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.26 and a beta of 0.53. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $21.74 and a 200-day moving average price of $19.17.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.15. EZCORP had a return on equity of 12.37% and a net margin of 9.18%.The firm had revenue of $374.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $363.63 million. Equities analysts predict that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on EZPW shares. Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of EZCORP in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of EZCORP in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Citizens Jmp raised their target price on EZCORP from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $34.00 price target on EZCORP in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Stephens upped their price objective on EZCORP from $22.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $28.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On EZCORP

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in EZCORP by 11.4% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,610,029 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $68,735,000 after purchasing an additional 369,817 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of EZCORP by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,563,724 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $69,209,000 after buying an additional 84,566 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in EZCORP by 47.5% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 3,167,748 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $61,518,000 after acquiring an additional 1,019,622 shares during the period. Wasatch Advisors LP grew its stake in EZCORP by 5.4% in the 2nd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 2,321,138 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $32,217,000 after acquiring an additional 118,641 shares during the period. Finally, Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in EZCORP by 28.5% in the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,975,421 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $37,612,000 after acquiring an additional 437,601 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.83% of the company’s stock.

About EZCORP

EZCORP, Inc is a specialty consumer finance company that provides pawn loans and retail merchandise programs primarily through its EZPAWN and Cash Converters brands. The company offers collateral-based loans secured principally by jewelry, electronics, musical instruments and other personal items, alongside check-cashing, money-transfer and bill-payment services. In addition to its pawn lending operations, EZCORP acquires previously pawned or consumer merchandise for resale through its “Sell-It-Now” platform and retail storefronts.

Founded in 1989 and headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, EZCORP operates in two principal geographic markets: the United States and Mexico.