Capital Research Global Investors Buys 1,019,622 Shares of EZCORP, Inc. $EZPW

Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) by 47.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,167,748 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,019,622 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors owned 0.05% of EZCORP worth $61,518,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of EZPW. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in shares of EZCORP by 23.6% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 19,375 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $286,000 after buying an additional 3,705 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,646,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of EZCORP by 47.9% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 183,291 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,544,000 after buying an additional 59,339 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in shares of EZCORP by 0.9% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 73,064 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,014,000 after buying an additional 648 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,718,000. Institutional investors own 99.83% of the company’s stock.

EZCORP Trading Up 2.7%

EZPW stock opened at $32.07 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $31.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $25.53. EZCORP, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $12.85 and a fifty-two week high of $37.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a current ratio of 4.71. The firm has a market cap of $1.97 billion, a PE ratio of 17.43 and a beta of 0.63.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The credit services provider reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $434.90 million during the quarter. EZCORP had a net margin of 9.91% and a return on equity of 13.45%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that EZCORP, Inc. will post 2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EZPW has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $40.00 price objective on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Citizens Jmp lifted their price objective on shares of EZCORP from $33.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $44.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a report on Friday, May 8th. Zacks Research raised shares of EZCORP from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Citigroup reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of EZCORP in a report on Monday, May 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, EZCORP presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $37.25.

Insider Buying and Selling at EZCORP

In other EZCORP news, Director Pablo Lagos Espinosa sold 10,000 shares of EZCORP stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.00, for a total transaction of $320,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 217,543 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,961,376. The trade was a 4.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Jason A. Kulas sold 20,000 shares of EZCORP stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.56, for a total transaction of $671,200.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 172,948 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,804,134.88. The trade was a 10.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 2.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

EZCORP Profile

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.