EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.06 EPS

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The credit services provider reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.06, FiscalAI reports. The firm had revenue of $408.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $425.83 million. EZCORP had a net margin of 9.91% and a return on equity of 13.45%.

EZCORP Price Performance

Shares of EZCORP stock traded down $1.22 on Wednesday, hitting $29.78. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 976,875 shares, compared to its average volume of 867,507. EZCORP has a 52-week low of $14.81 and a 52-week high of $37.13. The company has a quick ratio of 3.52, a current ratio of 4.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $31.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $28.99. The company has a market capitalization of $1.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.18 and a beta of 0.66.

Insider Transactions at EZCORP

In other EZCORP news, Director Jason A. Kulas sold 20,000 shares of EZCORP stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.56, for a total transaction of $671,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 172,948 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,804,134.88. The trade was a 10.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Pablo Lagos Espinosa sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.54, for a total transaction of $355,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 40,000 shares of company stock worth $1,346,600. 2.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of EZPW. Deutsche Bank AG grew its holdings in 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 buying an additional 2,246 shares during the last quarter. Sciencast Management LP purchased a new position in EZCORP during the fourth quarter worth $212,000. State of Wyoming raised its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 178.1% in the second quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 11,069 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $154,000 after acquiring an additional 7,089 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning raised its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 19.8% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 12,472 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $237,000 after acquiring an additional 2,064 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp purchased a new stake in shares of EZCORP in the fourth quarter valued at $249,000. 99.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EZPW has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (a-)” rating on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $44.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Citigroup reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on EZCORP from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Roth Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $40.00 price objective on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Friday, May 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $38.80.

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.