EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Reaches New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $27.33 and last traded at $27.1850, with a volume of 640969 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $26.02.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of EZCORP in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Citizens Jmp upped their price objective on shares of EZCORP from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of EZCORP from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $26.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Zacks Research raised EZCORP from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, EZCORP currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $28.00.

EZCORP Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 6.03 and a quick ratio of 4.69. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $24.74 and its 200 day moving average price is $21.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.41 and a beta of 0.49.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $374.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $363.63 million. EZCORP had a net margin of 9.18% and a return on equity of 12.37%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at EZCORP

In other news, Director Gary Tillett sold 10,000 shares of EZCORP stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.50, for a total transaction of $255,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 133,483 shares in the company, valued at $3,403,816.50. The trade was a 6.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Pablo Lagos Espinosa sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.00, for a total transaction of $500,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 208,177 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,204,425. This trade represents a 8.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 84,138 shares of company stock worth $2,102,416 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in EZPW. Miller Global Investments LLC bought a new stake in EZCORP in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,451,000. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP grew its position in shares of EZCORP by 39.5% during the 3rd quarter. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP now owns 138,505 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,637,000 after buying an additional 39,195 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of EZCORP by 163.6% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 483,211 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $9,200,000 after acquiring an additional 299,920 shares during the last quarter. Harbour Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of EZCORP in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,207,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of EZCORP by 11.4% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,610,029 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $68,735,000 after acquiring an additional 369,817 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.83% of the company’s stock.

EZCORP Company Profile

EZCORP, Inc is a specialty consumer finance company that provides pawn loans and retail merchandise programs primarily through its EZPAWN and Cash Converters brands. The company offers collateral-based loans secured principally by jewelry, electronics, musical instruments and other personal items, alongside check-cashing, money-transfer and bill-payment services. In addition to its pawn lending operations, EZCORP acquires previously pawned or consumer merchandise for resale through its “Sell-It-Now” platform and retail storefronts.

Founded in 1989 and headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, EZCORP operates in two principal geographic markets: the United States and Mexico.