Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Buys Shares of 47,543 EZCORP, Inc. $EZPW

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 47,543 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,207,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd owned approximately 0.08% of EZCORP at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in EZCORP by 23.6% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 19,375 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $286,000 after purchasing an additional 3,705 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the first quarter worth $1,646,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in EZCORP by 47.9% in the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 183,291 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,544,000 after acquiring an additional 59,339 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position in EZCORP by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 73,064 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,014,000 after acquiring an additional 648 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership acquired a new position in EZCORP in the 2nd quarter worth $1,718,000. Institutional investors own 99.83% of the company’s stock.

EZCORP Price Performance

EZPW stock remained flat at $34.07 during mid-day trading on Friday. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 970,805 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,084,207. The company has a market capitalization of $2.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.52 and a beta of 0.64. EZCORP, Inc. has a 12-month low of $13.07 and a 12-month high of $37.13. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $32.82 and its 200 day moving average is $27.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 4.71 and a quick ratio of 3.52.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The credit services provider reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.22. EZCORP had a return on equity of 13.45% and a net margin of 9.91%.The company had revenue of $434.90 million during the quarter. On average, equities analysts predict that EZCORP, Inc. will post 2 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Pablo Lagos Espinosa sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.54, for a total value of $355,400.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 207,543 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,376,078.22. This represents a 4.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Jason A. Kulas sold 20,000 shares of EZCORP stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.56, for a total value of $671,200.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 172,948 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,804,134.88. The trade was a 10.37% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 40,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,346,600. Corporate insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Citigroup reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Wall Street Zen lowered EZCORP from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 27th. Zacks Research cut EZCORP from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Roth Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $40.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Citizens Jmp boosted their price objective on shares of EZCORP from $33.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. One research 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $38.80.

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.