FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS) Insider Howard Hambleton Sells 2,000 Shares

FirstCash Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCFS) insider Howard Hambleton sold 2,000 shares of FirstCash stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.65, for a total value of $355,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 39,406 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,000,475.90. This trade represents a 4.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

FirstCash Price Performance

NASDAQ:FCFS traded up $4.27 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $181.92. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 404,161 shares, compared to its average volume of 274,206. FirstCash Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $109.51 and a 52-week high of $188.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 3.72 and a current ratio of 4.99. The business’s 50-day moving average is $164.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $153.71. The company has a market capitalization of $8.03 billion, a PE ratio of 26.25 and a beta of 0.49.

FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $2.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.54 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $1.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. FirstCash had a net margin of 8.88% and a return on equity of 17.44%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.12 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that FirstCash Holdings, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

FirstCash announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, October 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $150.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 2.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

FirstCash Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th will be issued a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. FirstCash’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 24.24%.

Key Stories Impacting FirstCash

Here are the key news stories impacting FirstCash this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat estimates — FirstCash reported $2.64 EPS vs. $2.54 consensus and revenue of $1.06B vs. $1.01B expected; revenue rose ~19.8% year?over?year and the company posted record quarterly and full?year operating results. These beats and strong margins support near?term upside for the stock. View Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Board declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.42/share (ex?dividend Feb 18; pay Feb 27) — the payout provides income support for shareholders and may attract income?oriented investors; the reported yield is roughly 0.9%. Press Release: Dividend & Results
• Positive Sentiment: Retail footprint growth — the company added 28 new pawn locations in Q4 through acquisitions and openings, supporting revenue diversification and same?store growth potential going forward. Business Insider: Expansion Details
• Neutral Sentiment: Elevated trading volume — today’s volume is above the stock’s recent average, indicating higher investor attention but not directional proof by itself. (Background market data.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Short interest data appears anomalous — a published February entry shows short interest listed as zero shares (no change from prior), which likely reflects a reporting/data issue rather than meaningful short covering. Monitor future filings for clarity.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage and previews — outlets published earnings previews and Q4 snapshots following the release; these provide context but contain no new material surprises beyond the company release. Houston Chronicle: Q4 Snapshot Benzinga: Earnings Preview

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on FCFS. Zacks Research downgraded FirstCash from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. Wall Street Zen lowered FirstCash from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of FirstCash in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $217.00 price objective on shares of FirstCash in a research report on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of FirstCash in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, FirstCash presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $169.40.

Institutional Trading of FirstCash

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in FCFS. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP acquired a new stake in shares of FirstCash during the third quarter valued at $66,925,000. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in FirstCash by 67.6% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 623,059 shares of the company’s stock valued at $97,503,000 after purchasing an additional 251,305 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of FirstCash by 76.3% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 534,571 shares of the company’s stock worth $84,687,000 after purchasing an additional 231,379 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its stake in shares of FirstCash by 280.5% during the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 305,856 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,454,000 after purchasing an additional 225,466 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hood River Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of FirstCash by 42.6% during the second quarter. Hood River Capital Management LLC now owns 611,045 shares of the company’s stock worth $82,577,000 after buying an additional 182,451 shares in the last quarter. 80.30% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About FirstCash

FirstCash, Inc (NASDAQ: FCFS) is a leading integrated operator of pawn stores and provider of short-term consumer loan services in the United States and Mexico. Through its retail pawn outlets, FirstCash offers collateral-based loans secured by personal property, enabling customers to access liquidity without a credit history or traditional bank account. The company also purchases, trades and sells a broad range of secondhand merchandise, including electronics, jewelry and power tools, through its network of conveniently located stores.

In addition to its pawn-broking activities, FirstCash provides unsecured consumer loans designed to meet urgent cash needs.