Entropy Technologies LP Invests $829,000 in FirstCash Holdings, Inc. $FCFS

Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in FirstCash Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCFS) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 4,409 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $829,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC acquired a new position in FirstCash in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of FirstCash in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of FirstCash by 490.9% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 195 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. High Point Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in FirstCash during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. grew its stake in FirstCash by 113.2% during the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.30% of the company’s stock.

FirstCash Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:FCFS opened at $206.73 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $218.80 and a 200-day moving average of $201.95. The company has a current ratio of 4.89, a quick ratio of 3.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The firm has a market cap of $9.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.60 and a beta of 0.53. FirstCash Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $120.00 and a twelve month high of $235.97.

FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $2.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.39 by $0.11. FirstCash had a net margin of 9.42% and a return on equity of 19.65%. The business had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.34 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 29.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that FirstCash Holdings, Inc. will post 11.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

FirstCash Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. FirstCash’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.18%.

Insider Activity at FirstCash

In other news, COO Thomas Brent Stuart sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total value of $2,284,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 140,846 shares in the company, valued at $32,181,902.54. This represents a 6.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO R Douglas Orr sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.29, for a total value of $454,580.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 35,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,121,980.86. This trade represents a 5.30% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 27,500 shares of company stock worth $6,243,104 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 2.86% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FCFS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their target price on FirstCash from $242.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of FirstCash from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of FirstCash from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, May 10th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of FirstCash from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on FirstCash from $235.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $199.25.

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.