EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Stock Price Down 6.5% – Should You Sell?

Shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) were down 6.5% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $30.71 and last traded at $29.9870. Approximately 544,017 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 35% from the average daily volume of 837,375 shares. The stock had previously closed at $32.07.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on EZPW shares. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $44.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a report on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of EZCORP from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $40.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Citizens Jmp upped their price target on shares of EZCORP from $33.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $37.25.

EZCORP Trading Down 12.8%

The company has a market cap of $1.72 billion, a PE ratio of 15.20 and a beta of 0.63. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $31.13 and its 200-day moving average is $25.53. The company has a quick ratio of 3.52, a current ratio of 4.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The credit services provider reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that EZCORP, Inc. will post 2 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other EZCORP news, Director Jason A. Kulas sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 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 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 business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.00, for a total transaction of $320,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 217,543 shares in the company, valued at $6,961,376. This trade 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 corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in EZCORP during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in EZCORP during the third quarter valued at $29,000. KBC Group NV bought a new position in EZCORP during the first quarter valued at $44,000. Deutsche Bank AG increased its position in EZCORP by 533.5% during the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 2,667 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 2,246 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC increased its position in EZCORP by 21.2% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,146 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $81,000 after acquiring an additional 724 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.83% of the company’s stock.

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.