EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to “Strong-Buy” Rating

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

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on EZPW. Citigroup reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of EZCORP in a report on Monday, May 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $44.00 price objective on EZCORP in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (a-)” rating on shares of EZCORP in a report on Monday, July 6th. Citizens Jmp lifted their target price on EZCORP from $33.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on EZCORP from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $38.80.

EZCORP Stock Down 2.1%

EZCORP stock opened at $29.54 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.05 and a beta of 0.64. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $32.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $28.45. 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 has a fifty-two week low of $13.07 and a fifty-two week high of $37.13.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last issued its earnings results 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 net margin of 9.91% and a return on equity of 13.45%. The firm had revenue of $434.90 million during the quarter. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that EZCORP will post 2 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at EZCORP

In other EZCORP news, Director Pablo Lagos Espinosa sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.54, for a total value of $355,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 207,543 shares in the company, valued at $7,376,078.22. This trade represents a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Jason A. Kulas sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director directly owned 172,948 shares in the company, valued at $5,804,134.88. This trade represents a 10.37% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 40,000 shares of company stock worth $1,346,600 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On EZCORP

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sigma Planning Corp lifted its position in shares of EZCORP by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 13,707 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $348,000 after acquiring an additional 510 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 15,960 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $310,000 after purchasing an additional 569 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased 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. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. increased its position in shares of EZCORP by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 18,173 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $353,000 after purchasing an additional 685 shares during the period. Finally, CWM LLC raised its stake in EZCORP by 21.2% in the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,146 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $81,000 after purchasing an additional 724 shares in the last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.