FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS) Sets New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

FirstCash Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCFS)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $199.52 and last traded at $197.7730, with a volume of 28444 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $196.21.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on FCFS. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of FirstCash in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $217.00 target price on FirstCash in a report on Friday, February 6th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of FirstCash from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, February 15th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of FirstCash from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, FirstCash has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $177.50.

FirstCash Trading Up 0.8%

The firm has a market cap of $8.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.66 and a beta of 0.46. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $175.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $162.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 4.55 and a quick ratio of 3.36.

FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $2.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.54 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $1.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. FirstCash had a net margin of 9.02% and a return on equity of 17.99%. The business’s revenue was up 19.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.12 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that FirstCash Holdings, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current year.

FirstCash Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th were issued a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 18th. FirstCash’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.64%.

Insider Activity at FirstCash

In other news, COO Thomas Brent Stuart sold 10,000 shares of FirstCash stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.53, for a total transaction of $1,825,300.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 150,846 shares in the company, valued at $27,533,920.38. This trade represents a 6.22% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through 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 value of $740,480.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 35,406 shares in the company, valued at $6,554,358.72. This trade represents a 10.15% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 30,500 shares of company stock valued at $5,438,945. Corporate insiders own 14.77% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On FirstCash

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in FirstCash in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Rothschild Investment LLC raised its stake in shares of FirstCash by 127.8% in the third quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of FirstCash by 490.9% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 195 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 162 shares during the period. Community Bank N.A. acquired a new position in shares of FirstCash in the third quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, High Point Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in FirstCash during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. 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.