EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Stock Rating Lowered by Zacks Research

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) was downgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

EZPW has been the topic of a number of other reports. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price target on shares of EZCORP from $34.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Stephens boosted their price target on shares of EZCORP from $22.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $26.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of EZCORP from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $29.50.

EZCORP Stock Performance

EZPW opened at $28.03 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.73 billion, a PE ratio of 17.97 and a beta of 0.52. EZCORP has a twelve month low of $12.85 and a twelve month high of $28.90. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $25.33 and its 200 day moving average price is $21.44. 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 (NASDAQ:EZPW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $374.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $363.63 million. EZCORP had a net margin of 9.18% and a return on equity of 12.37%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that EZCORP will post 1.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at EZCORP

In other news, insider Ellen H. Bryant sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.00, for a total value of $500,000.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 147,786 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,694,650. The trade was a 11.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Gary Tillett sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.50, for a total transaction of $255,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 133,483 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,403,816.50. The trade was a 6.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 84,138 shares of company stock valued at $2,102,416 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On EZCORP

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its stake in EZCORP by 10.1% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 35,444 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $691,000 after buying an additional 3,261 shares during the period. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new stake in EZCORP during the 4th quarter worth approximately $690,000. Uniplan Investment Counsel Inc. increased its stake in EZCORP by 7.8% during the 4th quarter. Uniplan Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 237,687 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,616,000 after buying an additional 17,294 shares during the period. Voloridge Investment Management LLC increased its stake in EZCORP by 21.9% during the 4th quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 433,234 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $8,413,000 after buying an additional 77,846 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in EZCORP by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 903,101 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $17,538,000 after buying an additional 9,087 shares during the period. 99.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.