FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS) Insider Howard Hambleton Sells 4,000 Shares of Stock

FirstCash Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCFS) insider Howard Hambleton sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.12, for a total transaction of $740,480.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 35,406 shares in the company, valued at $6,554,358.72. This represents a 10.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

FirstCash Stock Up 0.1%

FCFS stock opened at $184.11 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $168.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $157.32. FirstCash Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $109.51 and a fifty-two week high of $188.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 3.36 and a current ratio of 4.55. The company has a market cap of $8.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.81 and a beta of 0.49.

FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $2.64 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.54 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $1.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. FirstCash had a return on equity of 17.99% and a net margin of 9.02%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.12 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that FirstCash Holdings, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

FirstCash announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, October 30th that allows the company to buyback $150.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 2.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

FirstCash Dividend Announcement

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On FirstCash

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in FirstCash during the 2nd quarter valued at about $336,000. Drive Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of FirstCash in the second quarter worth about $230,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its position in shares of FirstCash by 685.2% in the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 37,896 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,121,000 after acquiring an additional 33,070 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in FirstCash by 1.7% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 388,635 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,520,000 after acquiring an additional 6,633 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in FirstCash by 26.0% during the 2nd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 33,462 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,522,000 after acquiring an additional 6,907 shares during the period. 80.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about FirstCash

Here are the key news stories impacting FirstCash this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Short interest fell sharply (reported ~12.5% decline), reducing potential selling pressure from shorts and potentially providing mechanical support as bearish positions unwind. Short Interest in FirstCash Declines By 12.5%
• Positive Sentiment: FirstCash declared a quarterly dividend (record date Feb 18; payment Feb 27) and still has an active share-repurchase authorization (~$150M program), both supportive of shareholder returns and signaling management confidence. FCFS insider & company update
• Positive Sentiment: Sector coverage highlighting FirstCash as a stabilizing holding in Nasdaq financial ETFs can increase demand from index/defensive investors and lift the multiple. How FirstCash Provides Stability To Nasdaq Index Fund Financial Sector
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage and valuation notes are mixed — some firms keep Buy ratings and higher targets while others have trimmed enthusiasm; useful context for longer-term positioning but not an immediate catalyst. A Look At FirstCash Valuation After Strong Recent Share Price Momentum
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling by senior executives: COO Thomas Brent Stuart sold 10,000 shares (~$1.83M at ~$182.53) and CFO R. Douglas Orr sold multiple tranches (~3,000 shares around $173–183), plus director Howard Hambleton sold 4,000 shares at ~$185. These SEC-filed sales (Form 4s) reduce insider ownership and can create short-term sentiment headwinds. COO Form 4 CFO Form 4 Director Form 4

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $217.00 target price on shares of FirstCash in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of FirstCash in a research note on Monday, December 29th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of FirstCash in a report on Friday, October 31st. Zacks Research lowered FirstCash from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut FirstCash from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $177.50.

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.