EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Downgraded to “Buy” Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Saturday.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on EZPW. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (a-)” rating on shares of EZCORP in a report on Monday, July 6th. Zacks Research cut EZCORP from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on EZCORP from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $44.00 price objective on EZCORP in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Monday, May 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $38.80.

EZCORP Price Performance

EZPW opened at $27.90 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a current ratio of 4.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.09 and a beta of 0.66. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $31.85 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $29.03. EZCORP has a 52-week low of $15.22 and a 52-week high of $37.13.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The credit services provider reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.41 by $0.06. EZCORP had a net margin of 9.97% and a return on equity of 13.99%. The firm had revenue of $408.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $425.83 million. As a group, analysts predict that EZCORP will post 2 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at EZCORP

In other EZCORP news, Director Pablo Lagos Espinosa sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.54, for a total value of $355,400.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 207,543 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,376,078.22. This trade represents a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Jason A. Kulas sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.56, for a total value of $671,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 172,948 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,804,134.88. This trade represents a 10.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 40,000 shares of company stock worth $1,346,600 over the last quarter. 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. Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in EZCORP by 23.6% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 19,375 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $286,000 after acquiring an additional 3,705 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in EZCORP during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,646,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in EZCORP by 47.9% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 183,291 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,544,000 after purchasing an additional 59,339 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its position in shares of EZCORP by 0.9% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 73,064 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,014,000 after purchasing an additional 648 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new stake in shares of EZCORP in the second quarter worth $1,718,000. 99.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.