FirstCash Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCFS) Short Interest Update

FirstCash Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCFS) saw a large decline in short interest during the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 544,966 shares, a decline of 30.7% from the February 12th total of 786,601 shares. Approximately 1.5% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 240,022 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.3 days. Based on an average trading volume of 240,022 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.3 days. Approximately 1.5% of the company’s shares are sold short.

FirstCash Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of FirstCash stock opened at $193.07 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $8.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.02 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. The business has a 50-day moving average of $178.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $163.56. FirstCash has a 1 year low of $113.32 and a 1 year high of $199.60.

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 business had revenue of $1.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.12 EPS. FirstCash’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that FirstCash will post 7.7 EPS for the current year.

FirstCash Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Howard F. Hambleton sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $6,554,358.72. This represents a 10.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO R Douglas Orr sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.37, for a total value of $701,480.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 111,289 shares in the company, valued at $19,516,751.93. The trade was a 3.47% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 26,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,783,985 in the last 90 days. 14.77% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On FirstCash

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Squarepoint Ops LLC increased its holdings in FirstCash by 685.2% during the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 37,896 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,121,000 after purchasing an additional 33,070 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of FirstCash by 26.0% in the second quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 33,462 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,522,000 after purchasing an additional 6,907 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 8,610 shares in the last quarter. Coastal Bridge Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of FirstCash during the third quarter worth about $1,361,000. Finally, Vise Technologies Inc. acquired a new position in shares of FirstCash during the second quarter worth about $248,000. Institutional investors own 80.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FCFS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of FirstCash in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of FirstCash from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 15th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $217.00 price objective on shares of FirstCash in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of FirstCash from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $177.50.

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.