FirstCash Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCFS) Short Interest Update

FirstCash Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCFS) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 786,601 shares, an increase of 51.3% from the January 29th total of 519,981 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 306,912 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.6 days. Approximately 2.1% of the company’s stock are sold short. Approximately 2.1% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 306,912 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.6 days.

FirstCash Price Performance

NASDAQ:FCFS traded up $3.20 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $195.99. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 139,211 shares, compared to its average volume of 266,444. FirstCash has a 52-week low of $110.16 and a 52-week high of $197.39. 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 business’s 50-day moving average is $172.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $159.93. The company has a market capitalization of $8.62 billion, a PE ratio of 26.34 and a beta of 0.46.

FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $2.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.54 by $0.10. FirstCash had a net margin of 9.02% and a return on equity of 17.99%. The business had revenue of $1.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.12 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that FirstCash will post 7.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

FirstCash Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at FirstCash

In other news, COO Thomas Brent Stuart sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.53, for a total value of $1,825,300.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 150,846 shares in the company, valued at $27,533,920.38. The trade was a 6.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Howard F. Hambleton sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.12, for a total value of $740,480.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 35,406 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,554,358.72. This represents a 10.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 30,500 shares of company stock valued at $5,438,945 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 14.77% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On FirstCash

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of FCFS. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in FirstCash in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Rothschild Investment LLC grew its holdings in FirstCash by 127.8% in the third quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its stake in FirstCash by 490.9% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 195 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Community Bank N.A. purchased a new position in FirstCash during the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, High Point Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in FirstCash during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. 80.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FCFS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $217.00 price target on shares of FirstCash in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded FirstCash from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, February 15th. Zacks Research lowered FirstCash from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of FirstCash in a report on Monday, December 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $177.50.

FirstCash Company Profile

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.