EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Trading Up 6.5% – Still a Buy?

Shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) shot up 6.5% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $33.12 and last traded at $33.5580. 90,025 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 90% from the average daily volume of 871,768 shares. The stock had previously closed at $31.51.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EZPW has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of EZCORP from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of EZCORP from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Zacks Research raised EZCORP from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Citigroup reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of EZCORP in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $40.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, EZCORP presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $37.25.

EZCORP Trading Up 0.2%

The company has a fifty day moving average of $32.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $26.48. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $2.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.62 and a beta of 0.63.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The credit services provider reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $434.90 million for the quarter. EZCORP had a net margin of 9.91% and a return on equity of 13.45%. On average, research analysts expect that EZCORP, Inc. will post 2 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at EZCORP

In other news, Director Jason A. Kulas sold 20,000 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the director directly owned 172,948 shares in the company, valued at $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 available through this link. Also, Director Pablo Lagos Espinosa sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.00, for a total transaction of $320,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 217,543 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,961,376. The trade was a 4.39% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in EZCORP by 23.6% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 19,375 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $286,000 after acquiring an additional 3,705 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of EZCORP in the first quarter worth $1,646,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of EZCORP by 47.9% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 183,291 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,544,000 after acquiring an additional 59,339 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in shares of EZCORP by 0.9% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 73,064 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,014,000 after buying an additional 648 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new position in shares of EZCORP during the 2nd quarter worth $1,718,000. 99.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.