EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) announced its earnings results on Wednesday. The credit services provider reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.41 by $0.06, FiscalAI reports. EZCORP had a return on equity of 13.45% and a net margin of 9.91%.The company had revenue of $408.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $425.83 million.

EZCORP Stock Performance

Shares of EZPW traded down $1.22 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $29.78. The stock had a trading volume of 976,875 shares, compared to its average volume of 903,893. EZCORP has a fifty-two week low of $14.81 and a fifty-two week high of $37.13. The company has a quick ratio of 3.52, a current ratio of 4.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The company has a market cap of $1.83 billion, a PE ratio of 16.18 and a beta of 0.66. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $32.04 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $28.93.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on EZPW shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of EZCORP from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 25th. Roth Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $40.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a report on Friday, May 8th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $44.00 price objective on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of EZCORP from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Citigroup reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of EZCORP in a report on Monday, May 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $38.80.

Insider Activity at EZCORP

In related news, Director Jason A. Kulas sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.56, for a total transaction of $671,200.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 172,948 shares in the company, valued at $5,804,134.88. This trade represents a 10.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Pablo Lagos Espinosa sold 10,000 shares of EZCORP stock in a transaction on Monday, July 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.54, for a total transaction of $355,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 207,543 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,376,078.22. This represents a 4.60% 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. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 40,000 shares of company stock worth $1,346,600. Corporate insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On EZCORP

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in EZCORP by 23.6% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 19,375 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $286,000 after acquiring an additional 3,705 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of EZCORP during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,646,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of EZCORP by 47.9% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 183,291 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,544,000 after purchasing an additional 59,339 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in shares of EZCORP by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 73,064 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,014,000 after purchasing an additional 648 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new stake in shares of EZCORP in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,718,000. Institutional investors own 99.83% of the company’s stock.

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.