Stephens Investment Management Group LLC Lowers Position in EZCORP, Inc. $EZPW

Stephens Investment Management Group LLC cut its stake in shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) by 6.9% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,434,454 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 105,592 shares during the period. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC’s holdings in EZCORP were worth $36,406,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in EZCORP during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Deutsche Bank AG raised its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 533.5% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 2,667 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 2,246 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of EZCORP by 21.2% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,146 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $81,000 after purchasing an additional 724 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming boosted its holdings in EZCORP by 178.1% during the second quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 11,069 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $154,000 after purchasing an additional 7,089 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Palisade Capital Management LP purchased a new position in EZCORP during the second quarter worth about $179,000. 99.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

EZCORP Price Performance

EZPW opened at $35.59 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $2.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.34 and a beta of 0.64. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $32.61 and a 200 day moving average of $27.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a current ratio of 4.71. EZCORP, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $13.07 and a fifty-two week high of $37.13.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The credit services provider reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.22. The business had revenue of $434.90 million for the quarter. EZCORP had a net margin of 9.91% and a return on equity of 13.45%. On average, research analysts expect that EZCORP, Inc. will post 2 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EZPW has been the subject of several analyst reports. Citigroup reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings upgraded EZCORP from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Wall Street Zen lowered EZCORP from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, June 27th. Citizens Jmp increased their price target on EZCORP from $33.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group set a $44.00 price target on EZCORP in a report on Friday, May 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, EZCORP presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $37.25.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Jason A. Kulas sold 20,000 shares of EZCORP stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.56, for a total value of $671,200.00. Following the sale, the director owned 172,948 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,804,134.88. The trade was a 10.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Pablo Lagos Espinosa sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.00, for a total value of $320,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 217,543 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,961,376. The trade was a 4.39% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

EZCORP Company Profile

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.