EZCORP, Inc. $EZPW Shares Purchased by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) by 11.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,610,029 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 369,817 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 5.93% of EZCORP worth $68,735,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in EZCORP by 163.6% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 483,211 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $9,200,000 after buying an additional 299,920 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its holdings in EZCORP by 12.1% in the third quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 81,873 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,559,000 after buying an additional 8,809 shares in the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. acquired a new position in shares of EZCORP in the third quarter worth about $333,000. Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of EZCORP in the third quarter worth about $1,780,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its stake in shares of EZCORP by 913.5% during the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 4,216 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $79,000 after acquiring an additional 3,800 shares in the last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

EZCORP Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of EZCORP stock opened at $25.33 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 6.03, a quick ratio of 4.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. EZCORP, Inc. has a twelve month low of $12.85 and a twelve month high of $27.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.56 billion, a PE ratio of 16.24 and a beta of 0.49. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $22.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $19.90.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.15. EZCORP had a return on equity of 12.37% and a net margin of 9.18%.The company had revenue of $374.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $363.63 million. On average, sell-side analysts predict that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $34.00 price target on EZCORP in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded EZCORP from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Zacks Research raised EZCORP from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Stephens upped their target price on EZCORP from $22.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Citizens Jmp increased their target price on EZCORP from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, EZCORP presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $28.00.

Insider Transactions at EZCORP

In other EZCORP news, Director Gary Tillett sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.50, for a total value of $255,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 133,483 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,403,816.50. This trade represents a 6.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Pablo Lagos Espinosa sold 20,000 shares of EZCORP stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.00, for a total transaction of $500,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 208,177 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,204,425. This trade represents a 8.77% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 84,138 shares of company stock valued at $2,102,416 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

EZCORP Company 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.