Stephens Investment Management Group LLC Has $36.41 Million Stock Holdings in EZCORP, Inc. $EZPW

Stephens Investment Management Group LLC decreased its holdings in shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) by 6.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,434,454 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 105,592 shares during the period. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC owned 2.32% of EZCORP worth $36,406,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in EZPW. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in EZCORP in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 533.5% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 2,667 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 2,246 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its position in shares of EZCORP by 21.2% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,146 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $81,000 after buying an additional 724 shares during the period. Moran Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the 1st quarter worth approximately $231,000. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA bought a new stake in shares of EZCORP in the 1st quarter valued at $233,000. Institutional investors own 99.83% of the company’s stock.

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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 172,948 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,804,134.88. The trade was a 10.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Pablo Lagos Espinosa sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $6,961,376. This represents 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. 2.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

EZCORP Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:EZPW opened at $35.59 on Friday. EZCORP, Inc. has a twelve month low of $13.07 and a twelve month high of $37.13. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $32.61 and its 200-day moving average is $27.11. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $2.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.34 and a beta of 0.64.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The credit services provider reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.22. EZCORP had a net margin of 9.91% and a return on equity of 13.45%. The business had revenue of $434.90 million during the quarter. Sell-side analysts forecast that EZCORP, Inc. will post 2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on EZPW. Weiss Ratings raised shares of EZCORP from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Zacks Research raised shares of EZCORP from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $44.00 price objective on shares of EZCORP in a report on Friday, May 8th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $40.00 price objective on shares of EZCORP in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Citizens Jmp increased their price objective on shares of EZCORP from $33.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $37.25.

About EZCORP

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.