MQS Management LLC Invests $462,000 in FirstCash Holdings, Inc. $FCFS

MQS Management LLC bought a new stake in FirstCash Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCFS) in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 2,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $462,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in shares of FirstCash in the second quarter worth about $25,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of FirstCash during the third quarter worth $25,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in FirstCash by 70.5% during the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 220 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc raised its position in shares of FirstCash by 181.6% during the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 290 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in shares of FirstCash by 262.5% in the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 377 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 273 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.30% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Howard F. Hambleton sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.74, for a total value of $654,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 26,581 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,352,372.94. The trade was a 13.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Randel G. Owen sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.20, for a total transaction of $228,300.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 7,651 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,164,482.20. This represents a 16.39% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 50,500 shares of company stock valued at $8,150,640 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 2.93% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on FCFS. Zacks Research downgraded FirstCash from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 2nd. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of FirstCash in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of FirstCash in a report on Monday, December 29th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $217.00 target price on shares of FirstCash in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of FirstCash from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $169.40.

FirstCash Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FCFS opened at $182.45 on Thursday. FirstCash Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $109.51 and a one year high of $188.75. 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 firm has a market cap of $8.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.59 and a beta of 0.49. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $166.23 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $155.39.

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

FirstCash declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, October 30th that permits the company to repurchase $150.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 2.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

FirstCash Announces Dividend

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

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.