EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The credit services provider reported $0.43 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.01, Zacks reports. EZCORP had a net margin of 9.77% and a return on equity of 14.33%. The business had revenue of $447.06 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $427.57 million.

EZCORP Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of NASDAQ EZPW traded up $0.45 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $27.50. 1,044,050 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 897,674. The company has a market capitalization of $1.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.29 and a beta of 0.76. EZCORP has a 52-week low of $16.50 and a 52-week high of $37.13. The company has a current ratio of 4.81, a quick ratio of 3.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $30.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $29.83.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EZPW has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their target price on EZCORP from $45.00 to $44.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Roth Capital reissued a “buy” rating and set a $40.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Friday. Wall Street Zen cut EZCORP from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Piper Sandler set a $39.00 price target on EZCORP in a report on Friday. Finally, Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Thursday. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $38.83.

Recent EZCORP Headlines

These are some of the EZPW headlines that stood out recently:

• Positive Sentiment: Roth Capital reaffirmed its “buy” rating with a $40 target. Canaccord Genuity kept its “buy” rating and a $44 target, though it reduced the target from $45.
• Negative Sentiment: Cash and cash equivalents declined to $295.1 million from $469.5 million a year earlier, mainly due to debt repayment and acquisition spending. Jewelry-scrap margins also weakened in Q4 as gold prices shifted, a potential drag if the trend persists.
• Negative Sentiment: A newly disclosed risk flags EZCORP’s reliance on AI and machine learning as a source of potential operational, cybersecurity, and regulatory exposure. AI-related risk disclosure

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Ellen Bryant sold 30,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.77, for a total transaction of $1,043,100.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 117,786 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,095,419.22. This represents a 20.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

About EZCORP

EZCORP, Inc. operates pawnshops that provide short-term loans secured by customers’ personal property and sell pre-owned merchandise. Its stores offer customers access to pawn loans and a way to buy or sell goods. Products commonly include jewelry, electronics, tools and musical instruments. The company operates under brands including EZPAWN and serves customers in the United States and parts of Latin America. Founded in 1989, EZCORP is headquartered in Austin, Texas. Its business focuses on pawn lending and the retail sale of secondhand goods.