FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS) Sets New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

FirstCash Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCFS) shares reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $230.72 and last traded at $224.7950, with a volume of 13926 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $226.38.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price objective on shares of FirstCash from $242.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of FirstCash from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of FirstCash from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of FirstCash from $205.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of FirstCash from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, FirstCash presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $198.00.

FirstCash Trading Up 1.2%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 3.42 and a current ratio of 4.77. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $199.64 and its 200 day moving average is $176.90. The stock has a market cap of $9.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.53 and a beta of 0.52.

FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by $0.39. FirstCash had a net margin of 9.15% and a return on equity of 18.68%. The firm had revenue of $1.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.07 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 25.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that FirstCash Holdings, Inc. will post 11.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

FirstCash Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. FirstCash’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling at FirstCash

In other FirstCash news, COO Thomas Brent Stuart sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.53, for a total value of $1,825,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 150,846 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,533,920.38. This trade represents a 6.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Howard F. Hambleton sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.12, for a total transaction of $740,480.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 35,406 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,554,358.72. The trade was a 10.15% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 18,500 shares of company stock worth $3,440,840 in the last 90 days. 2.93% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of FirstCash

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. KBC Group NV increased its stake in FirstCash by 19.4% in the first quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,349 shares of the company’s stock worth $254,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares during the period. Aviance Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in FirstCash in the first quarter worth $212,000. California Public Employees Retirement System purchased a new stake in FirstCash in the first quarter worth $10,423,000. Future Fund LLC increased its stake in FirstCash by 27.1% in the first quarter. Future Fund LLC now owns 18,889 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,551,000 after purchasing an additional 4,024 shares during the period. Finally, Assetmark Inc. raised its stake in shares of FirstCash by 113.2% during the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.30% of the company’s stock.

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.