EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) was downgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

EZPW has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Roth Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $40.00 price objective on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Friday. Citizens Jmp set a $39.00 target price on EZCORP in a research report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings upgraded EZCORP from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 3rd. Piper Sandler set a $39.00 price target on EZCORP in a research note on Friday. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Thursday. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $38.83.

EZCORP Stock Up 1.8%

EZCORP stock opened at $27.55 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $1.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.32 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a current ratio of 4.54, a quick ratio of 3.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $30.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $29.86. EZCORP has a 52 week low of $16.50 and a 52 week high of $37.13.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 11th. The credit services provider reported $0.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $447.06 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $427.57 million. EZCORP had a net margin of 9.77% and a return on equity of 14.12%. On average, analysts expect that EZCORP will post 2.20 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at EZCORP

In other news, insider Ellen Bryant sold 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.77, for a total transaction of $1,043,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 117,786 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,095,419.22. This trade represents a 20.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of EZCORP

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EZPW. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new stake in EZCORP during the third quarter worth approximately $468,000. First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in EZCORP by 7.6% in the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 449,452 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $13,376,000 after buying an additional 31,828 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners grew its position in EZCORP by 230.5% in the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 621,905 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $18,511,000 after buying an additional 433,759 shares during the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance increased its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 6.3% in the third quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 34,712 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,033,000 after buying an additional 2,054 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stephens Investment Management Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 4.3% in the third quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 1,083,289 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $32,239,000 after buying an additional 44,433 shares in the last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key EZCORP News

Investors following EZPW have been watching these news items:

• Positive Sentiment: EZCORP reported fourth-quarter earnings of $0.43 per share, ahead of consensus estimates, while revenue also topped expectations. Reports highlighted strong core pawn revenue and record quarterly results. Zacks earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Roth Capital reaffirmed its Buy rating and $40 price target. Canaccord Genuity also kept a Buy rating, with a modest target reduction from $45 to $44; both targets remain well above the cited share price. Roth Capital rating Canaccord Genuity rating
• Neutral Sentiment: EZPAWN expanded its instant-quote offering for gold, electronics and tools ahead of the holidays, a customer-facing initiative that could support seasonal activity, though no sales impact was reported. EZPAWN announcement

EZCORP Company Profile

EZCORP, Inc. operates pawnshops that provide short-term loans secured by customers’ personal property and sell pre-owned merchandise. Its stores offer customers access to pawn loans and a way to buy or sell goods. Products commonly include jewelry, electronics, tools and musical instruments. The company operates under brands including EZPAWN and serves customers in the United States and parts of Latin America. Founded in 1989, EZCORP is headquartered in Austin, Texas. Its business focuses on pawn lending and the retail sale of secondhand goods.