Howard Hambleton Sells 2,000 Shares of FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS) Stock

FirstCash Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCFS) insider Howard Hambleton sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.65, for a total value of $355,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 39,406 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,000,475.90. This trade represents a 4.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

FirstCash Stock Up 2.4%

FirstCash stock traded up $4.27 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $181.92. The company had a trading volume of 404,161 shares, compared to its average volume of 274,206. The company has a quick ratio of 3.72, a current ratio of 4.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. FirstCash Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $109.51 and a 1 year high of $188.75. The business has a fifty day moving average of $164.46 and a 200 day moving average of $153.71. The stock has a market cap of $8.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.25 and a beta of 0.49.

FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $2.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.54 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $1.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. FirstCash had a net margin of 8.88% and a return on equity of 17.44%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.12 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that FirstCash Holdings, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

FirstCash announced that its board has approved a share buyback program on Thursday, October 30th that permits the company to buyback $150.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 2.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

FirstCash Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. FirstCash’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.24%.

Key Headlines Impacting FirstCash

Here are the key news stories impacting FirstCash this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat estimates — FirstCash reported $2.64 EPS vs. $2.54 consensus and revenue of $1.06B vs. $1.01B expected; revenue rose ~19.8% year‑over‑year and the company posted record quarterly and full‑year operating results. These beats and strong margins support near‑term upside for the stock. View Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Board declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.42/share (ex‑dividend Feb 18; pay Feb 27) — the payout provides income support for shareholders and may attract income‑oriented investors; the reported yield is roughly 0.9%. Press Release: Dividend & Results
• Positive Sentiment: Retail footprint growth — the company added 28 new pawn locations in Q4 through acquisitions and openings, supporting revenue diversification and same‑store growth potential going forward. Business Insider: Expansion Details
• Neutral Sentiment: Elevated trading volume — today’s volume is above the stock’s recent average, indicating higher investor attention but not directional proof by itself. (Background market data.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Short interest data appears anomalous — a published February entry shows short interest listed as zero shares (no change from prior), which likely reflects a reporting/data issue rather than meaningful short covering. Monitor future filings for clarity.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage and previews — outlets published earnings previews and Q4 snapshots following the release; these provide context but contain no new material surprises beyond the company release. Houston Chronicle: Q4 Snapshot Benzinga: Earnings Preview

Hedge Funds Weigh In On FirstCash

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of FirstCash by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,096,956 shares of the company’s stock worth $649,040,000 after acquiring an additional 83,113 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in FirstCash by 1.2% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 980,738 shares of the company’s stock worth $132,552,000 after purchasing an additional 11,534 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC raised its holdings in FirstCash by 1.0% during the third quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 857,510 shares of the company’s stock worth $135,847,000 after purchasing an additional 8,610 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in FirstCash by 4.0% in the third quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 742,610 shares of the company’s stock valued at $117,644,000 after purchasing an additional 28,704 shares during the period. Finally, Boston Partners boosted its holdings in FirstCash by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 658,961 shares of the company’s stock valued at $88,871,000 after purchasing an additional 8,503 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FCFS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Zacks Research cut FirstCash from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $217.00 price target on shares of FirstCash in a research report on Friday. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of FirstCash in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of FirstCash in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of FirstCash from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, FirstCash currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $169.40.

FirstCash Company Profile

FirstCash, Inc (NASDAQ: FCFS) is a leading integrated operator of pawn stores and provider of short-term consumer loan services in the United States and Mexico. Through its retail pawn outlets, FirstCash offers collateral-based loans secured by personal property, enabling customers to access liquidity without a credit history or traditional bank account. The company also purchases, trades and sells a broad range of secondhand merchandise, including electronics, jewelry and power tools, through its network of conveniently located stores.

In addition to its pawn-broking activities, FirstCash provides unsecured consumer loans designed to meet urgent cash needs.