EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) Shares Acquired by Lazard Asset Management LLC

Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its position in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) by 76.0% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 142,710 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 61,613 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in EZCORP were worth $1,742,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Invenomic Capital Management LP increased its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 317.1% in the fourth quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP now owns 789,768 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $9,651,000 after purchasing an additional 600,435 shares during the period. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP grew its holdings in EZCORP by 1,699.2% during the fourth quarter. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP now owns 1,246,445 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $15,232,000 after acquiring an additional 1,177,166 shares during the period. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC grew its holdings in EZCORP by 43.0% during the fourth quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 175,420 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,144,000 after acquiring an additional 52,725 shares during the period. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in EZCORP by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 757,623 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $9,258,000 after acquiring an additional 16,616 shares during the period. Finally, Caxton Associates LP acquired a new stake in EZCORP during the fourth quarter worth about $472,000. 99.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on EZPW. Roth Capital set a $16.00 target price on EZCORP in a report on Monday, March 17th. Roth Mkm initiated coverage on EZCORP in a report on Monday, March 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $16.00 price objective on the stock. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $13.50 price objective on shares of EZCORP in a report on Thursday, February 6th. BTIG Research initiated coverage on EZCORP in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their price objective on EZCORP from $25.00 to $24.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, EZCORP currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $17.38.

EZCORP Stock Performance

NASDAQ EZPW opened at $13.96 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $768.00 million, a PE ratio of 12.14 and a beta of 0.59. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $15.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $13.40. EZCORP, Inc. has a 1-year low of $9.66 and a 1-year high of $16.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.91 and a quick ratio of 2.13.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 28th. The credit services provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.02. EZCORP had a return on equity of 11.04% and a net margin of 7.25%. The firm had revenue of $306.32 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $310.35 million. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

EZCORP Profile

EZCORP, Inc provides pawn services in the United States and Latin America. The company operates through three segments: U.S. Pawn, Latin America Pawn, and Other Investments. The company offers pawn loans collateralized by tangible personal property, jewelry, consumer electronics, tools, sporting goods, and musical instruments.