First Wilshire Securities Management Inc. Sells 448,733 Shares of EZCORP, Inc. $EZPW

First Wilshire Securities Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) by 20.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 1,739,001 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 448,733 shares during the period. EZCORP makes up about 8.5% of First Wilshire Securities Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. First Wilshire Securities Management Inc.’s holdings in EZCORP were worth $33,771,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Deutsche Bank AG raised its position in shares of EZCORP by 533.5% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 2,667 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 2,246 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its position in shares of EZCORP by 21.2% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,146 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $81,000 after acquiring an additional 724 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in shares of EZCORP by 913.5% during the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 4,216 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $79,000 after acquiring an additional 3,800 shares in the last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

EZCORP Trading Up 5.9%

NASDAQ:EZPW opened at $30.75 on Friday. EZCORP, Inc. has a 1 year low of $12.85 and a 1 year high of $37.13. The stock has a market cap of $1.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.71 and a beta of 0.63. The business has a fifty day moving average of $31.32 and a 200-day moving average of $25.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a current ratio of 4.71.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The credit services provider reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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. Equities analysts predict that EZCORP, Inc. will post 2 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EZPW has been the topic of several research reports. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $44.00 price target on EZCORP in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Citigroup restated an “outperform” rating on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Citizens Jmp upped their price objective on EZCORP from $33.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $40.00 price objective on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded EZCORP from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, EZCORP currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $37.25.

Insider Buying and Selling at EZCORP

In other news, Director Jason A. Kulas sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the director owned 172,948 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,804,134.88. This represents a 10.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Pablo Lagos Espinosa sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.00, for a total value of $320,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 217,543 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,961,376. This trade represents a 4.39% 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. Corporate insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

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.