FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS) Shares Down 4.1% – Time to Sell?

FirstCash Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCFS)’s stock price was down 4.1% during trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $191.05 and last traded at $191.4970. Approximately 88,264 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 71% from the average daily volume of 304,099 shares. The stock had previously closed at $199.58.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FCFS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded FirstCash from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, February 15th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of FirstCash from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 2nd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of FirstCash in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group increased their target price on shares of FirstCash from $217.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, FirstCash has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $183.25.

FirstCash Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 4.55 and a quick ratio of 3.36. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $185.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $168.26. The company has a market capitalization of $8.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.49 and a beta of 0.47.

FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $2.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.54 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $1.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. FirstCash had a return on equity of 17.99% and a net margin of 9.02%.The business’s revenue was up 19.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.12 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that FirstCash Holdings, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

FirstCash Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th were issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. FirstCash’s payout ratio is 22.64%.

Insider Transactions at FirstCash

In other FirstCash news, insider Howard F. Hambleton sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.12, for a total value of $740,480.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 35,406 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,554,358.72. This represents a 10.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO R Douglas Orr sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.37, for a total transaction of $701,480.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 111,289 shares in the company, valued at $19,516,751.93. The trade was a 3.47% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 26,500 shares of company stock worth $4,783,985. Insiders own 2.93% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On FirstCash

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Villanova Investment Management Co LLC raised its stake in FirstCash by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Villanova Investment Management Co LLC now owns 12,783 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,037,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming increased its holdings in shares of FirstCash by 4.3% during the third quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 1,765 shares of the company’s stock valued at $280,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Profund Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of FirstCash by 4.9% during the third quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 1,632 shares of the company’s stock valued at $259,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Ascent Group LLC raised its stake in shares of FirstCash by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 1,423 shares of the company’s stock valued at $227,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC lifted its holdings in FirstCash by 1.0% in the third quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC now owns 8,703 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,379,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. 80.30% of the stock is owned by 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.