Stephens Investment Management Group LLC Sells 37,832 Shares of EZCORP, Inc. $EZPW

Stephens Investment Management Group LLC lowered its stake in shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,634,267 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 37,832 shares during the quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC’s holdings in EZCORP were worth $31,116,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its position in EZCORP by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 73,064 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,014,000 after acquiring an additional 648 shares in the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System raised its position in shares of EZCORP by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 80,959 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,541,000 after acquiring an additional 860 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS lifted its stake in shares of EZCORP by 7.4% in the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 13,362 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $185,000 after purchasing an additional 926 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its position in shares of EZCORP by 9.2% during the third quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 13,013 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $248,000 after purchasing an additional 1,100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its position in shares of EZCORP by 126.3% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,422 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 1,910 shares in the last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of EZCORP in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Citizens Jmp initiated coverage on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. They issued a “market outperform” rating and a $23.00 price target for the company. Roth Capital reissued 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 cut shares of EZCORP from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. Finally, JMP Securities set a $23.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $22.17.

EZCORP Stock Performance

Shares of EZCORP stock opened at $21.43 on Friday. EZCORP, Inc. has a 1 year low of $11.60 and a 1 year high of $22.11. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $19.74 and its 200 day moving average is $17.59. The stock has a market cap of $1.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.20 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 5.61 and a quick ratio of 4.37.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The credit services provider reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $335.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $325.09 million. EZCORP had a net margin of 8.60% and a return on equity of 12.00%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

EZCORP 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.