EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Sets New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $21.61 and last traded at $21.5650, with a volume of 389555 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $20.22.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on EZPW shares. Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Roth Capital restated a “buy” rating and set a $26.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Tuesday. Citizens Jmp started coverage on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. They issued a “market outperform” rating and a $23.00 price objective on the stock. JMP Securities set a $23.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of EZCORP in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, EZCORP currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $22.17.

EZCORP Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $1.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.22 and a beta of 0.55. The business’s 50-day moving average is $19.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $17.25. The company has a quick ratio of 4.37, a current ratio of 5.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The credit services provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $335.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $325.09 million. EZCORP had a net margin of 8.60% and a return on equity of 12.00%. As a group, analysts predict that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On EZCORP

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in EZPW. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its stake in EZCORP by 23.6% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 19,375 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $286,000 after purchasing an additional 3,705 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in shares of EZCORP by 21.8% during the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,455,869 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $21,430,000 after buying an additional 260,085 shares during the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP bought a new position in shares of EZCORP during the 1st quarter worth $362,000. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in EZCORP by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 348,482 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $5,130,000 after acquiring an additional 7,059 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in EZCORP in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,646,000. 99.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.