EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Trading 2.9% Higher on Analyst Upgrade

EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW)’s stock price rose 2.9% during mid-day trading on Tuesday after Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price target on the stock from $17.00 to $18.00. Canaccord Genuity Group currently has a buy rating on the stock. EZCORP traded as high as $11.16 and last traded at $11.13. Approximately 99,792 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 81% from the average daily volume of 531,767 shares. The stock had previously closed at $10.82.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on EZPW. TheStreet raised EZCORP from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 15th. StockNews.com downgraded EZCORP from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 29th.

Insider Transactions at EZCORP

In other news, CRO Nicole Swies sold 2,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.38, for a total transaction of $25,605.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive now directly owns 71,458 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $813,192.04. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On EZCORP

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Quarry LP acquired a new position in EZCORP in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in EZCORP by 128.8% in the third quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,418 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,924 shares in the last quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in EZCORP by 3,041.0% in the first quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 3,675 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 3,558 shares in the last quarter. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in EZCORP by 3,041.0% in the first quarter. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,675 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 3,558 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG boosted its holdings in EZCORP by 2,053.5% in the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 4,307 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 4,107 shares in the last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

EZCORP Price Performance

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $10.65 and a 200-day moving average of $9.26. The company has a quick ratio of 3.08, a current ratio of 4.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $613.82 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.60 and a beta of 1.15.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The credit services provider reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.07. EZCORP had a return on equity of 10.37% and a net margin of 4.62%. The company had revenue of $299.99 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $303.66 million. On average, equities research analysts predict that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About EZCORP

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.