FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS) Shares Down 4.1% – Should You Sell?

FirstCash Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCFS) shares fell 4.1% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $191.05 and last traded at $191.4970. 88,264 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 71% from the average session volume of 304,099 shares. The stock had previously closed at $199.58.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of FirstCash from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 15th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of FirstCash in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Zacks Research downgraded FirstCash from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 2nd. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price objective on FirstCash from $217.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, FirstCash currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $183.25.

FirstCash Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $8.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.49 and a beta of 0.47. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $185.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $168.26. 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 announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $2.64 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. FirstCash had a net margin of 9.02% and a return on equity of 17.99%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 19.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.12 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that FirstCash Holdings, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current year.

FirstCash Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th were paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 18th. FirstCash’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.64%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Howard F. Hambleton sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.12, for a total transaction of $740,480.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 35,406 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,554,358.72. This trade represents a 10.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Thomas Brent Stuart sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.53, for a total transaction of $1,825,300.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 150,846 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,533,920.38. The trade was a 6.22% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 26,500 shares of company stock worth $4,783,985 in the last three months. 2.93% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Hsbc Holdings PLC bought a new stake in shares of FirstCash in the 4th quarter worth about $5,476,000. SHP Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of FirstCash during the fourth quarter worth about $48,000. Midway Capital Research & Management acquired a new position in FirstCash in the fourth quarter worth about $2,220,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its stake in FirstCash by 531.7% in the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 259 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Villanova Investment Management Co LLC increased its holdings in FirstCash by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Villanova Investment Management Co LLC now owns 12,783 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,037,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. 80.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.