FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS) Reaches New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Shares of FirstCash Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCFS) reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $197.92 and last traded at $193.07, with a volume of 29163 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $195.23.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on FCFS shares. Zacks Research lowered FirstCash from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of FirstCash in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen lowered FirstCash from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, February 15th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group set a $217.00 price objective on FirstCash in a report on Friday, February 6th. One equities research 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $177.50.

FirstCash Trading Down 4.1%

The business has a 50 day moving average of $174.56 and a 200 day moving average of $161.17. 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 capitalization of $8.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.21 and a beta of 0.46.

FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $2.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.54 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $1.06 billion for 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 was up 19.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.12 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that FirstCash Holdings, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

FirstCash Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO R Douglas Orr sold 2,000 shares of FirstCash stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.99, for a total transaction of $365,980.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 36,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,721,954.66. This trade represents a 5.16% 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, COO Thomas Brent Stuart sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.53, for a total transaction of $1,825,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 150,846 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,533,920.38. This trade represents a 6.22% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 30,500 shares of company stock worth $5,438,945. Company insiders own 2.93% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On FirstCash

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

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.