FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS) Shares Down 4.9% – What’s Next?

FirstCash Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCFS)’s stock price was down 4.9% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $183.34 and last traded at $182.2640. Approximately 36,972 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 87% from the average daily volume of 290,166 shares. The stock had previously closed at $191.57.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FCFS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of FirstCash from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, February 15th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price target on FirstCash from $217.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Zacks Research downgraded FirstCash from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of FirstCash in a research note on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $183.25.

FirstCash Price Performance

The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $183.97 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $166.92. The stock has a market cap of $8.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.07 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 4.55 and a quick ratio of 3.36.

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

FirstCash Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 18th were issued a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 18th. FirstCash’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.64%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, 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 value of $1,825,300.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 150,846 shares of the company’s stock, 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Howard F. Hambleton sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.12, for a total value of $740,480.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 35,406 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,554,358.72. The trade was a 10.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 26,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,783,985 in the last ninety days. 14.77% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On FirstCash

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in FCFS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in FirstCash by 96.0% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 240,441 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,091,000 after purchasing an additional 117,788 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its stake in FirstCash by 685.2% during the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 37,896 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,121,000 after buying an additional 33,070 shares during the last quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC lifted its holdings in FirstCash by 1.0% in the third quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 857,510 shares of the company’s stock valued at $135,847,000 after buying an additional 8,610 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in FirstCash by 76.3% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 534,571 shares of the company’s stock valued at $84,687,000 after acquiring an additional 231,379 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Coastal Bridge Advisors LLC bought a new stake in FirstCash during the third quarter valued at $1,361,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.30% of the company’s stock.

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.