EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eight analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $38.80.

EZPW has been the subject of several analyst reports. Citigroup reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Citizens Jmp raised their target price on 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 EZCORP in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on EZCORP from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Zacks Research cut EZCORP from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th.

EZCORP Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:EZPW opened at $28.65 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 3.45, a current ratio of 4.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $31.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $29.27. The company has a market cap of $1.76 billion, a PE ratio of 14.47 and a beta of 0.66. EZCORP has a fifty-two week low of $15.42 and a fifty-two week high of $37.13.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The credit services provider reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.06. EZCORP had a net margin of 9.97% and a return on equity of 13.99%. The firm had revenue of $408.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $425.83 million. Sell-side analysts anticipate that EZCORP will post 2 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at EZCORP

In related news, Director Pablo Lagos Espinosa sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.54, for a total value of $355,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 207,543 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,376,078.22. This represents a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 2.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On EZCORP

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of EZCORP by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,563,724 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $69,209,000 after acquiring an additional 84,566 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 47.5% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of EZCORP by 5.4% during the second 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. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in shares of EZCORP by 28.5% during the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,975,421 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $37,612,000 after acquiring an additional 437,601 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in EZCORP by 8.6% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,246,427 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $23,732,000 after purchasing an additional 99,059 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.