EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.01 EPS

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The credit services provider reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by $0.01, Zacks reports. EZCORP had a return on equity of 13.99% and a net margin of 9.97%.

EZCORP Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of EZCORP stock traded down $0.47 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $28.30. 922,841 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 894,721. The company has a market cap of $1.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.29 and a beta of 0.76. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $30.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $29.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 3.45 and a current ratio of 4.81. EZCORP has a 52 week low of $16.50 and a 52 week high of $37.13.

Insider Transactions at EZCORP

In related news, insider Ellen Bryant sold 30,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.77, for a total value of $1,043,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 117,786 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,095,419.22. This represents a 20.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price on EZCORP from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Wall Street Zen lowered EZCORP from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised EZCORP from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 3rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $39.00.

About EZCORP

EZCORP, Inc. operates pawnshops that provide short-term loans secured by customers’ personal property and sell pre-owned merchandise. Its stores offer customers access to pawn loans and a way to buy or sell goods. Products commonly include jewelry, electronics, tools and musical instruments. The company operates under brands including EZPAWN and serves customers in the United States and parts of Latin America. Founded in 1989, EZCORP is headquartered in Austin, Texas. Its business focuses on pawn lending and the retail sale of secondhand goods.