EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Downgraded by Zacks Research to Hold

Zacks Research downgraded shares of EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $26.00 price objective on shares of EZCORP in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Stephens increased their price objective on EZCORP from $22.00 to $26.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of EZCORP in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price objective on EZCORP from $34.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Citizens Jmp increased their price objective on EZCORP from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, EZCORP currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $29.50.

EZCORP Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of EZPW stock opened at $28.03 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $25.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $21.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 4.69 and a current ratio of 6.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.73 billion, a PE ratio of 17.97 and a beta of 0.52. EZCORP has a fifty-two week low of $12.85 and a fifty-two week high of $28.90.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $374.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $363.63 million. EZCORP had a return on equity of 12.37% and a net margin of 9.18%. Equities analysts expect that EZCORP will post 1.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CRO Nicole Swies sold 24,138 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.75, for a total transaction of $597,415.50. Following the sale, the executive directly owned 115,266 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,852,833.50. This trade represents a 17.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Gary Tillett sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.50, for a total value of $255,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 133,483 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,403,816.50. This trade represents a 6.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 84,138 shares of company stock valued at $2,102,416 in the last three months. 2.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On EZCORP

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its position in EZCORP by 10.1% during the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 35,444 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $691,000 after purchasing an additional 3,261 shares in the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new position in EZCORP during the fourth quarter worth approximately $690,000. Uniplan Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its position in EZCORP by 7.8% during the fourth quarter. Uniplan Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 237,687 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,616,000 after purchasing an additional 17,294 shares in the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC boosted its position in EZCORP by 21.9% during the fourth quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 433,234 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $8,413,000 after purchasing an additional 77,846 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in EZCORP by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 903,101 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $17,538,000 after purchasing an additional 9,087 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.