EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $38.80.

EZPW has been the subject of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of EZCORP from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Wall Street Zen cut EZCORP from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Citigroup reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings lowered EZCORP from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Finally, Citizens Jmp lifted their target price on EZCORP from $33.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th.

EZCORP Price Performance

Shares of EZCORP stock opened at $33.32 on Tuesday. EZCORP has a 52 week low of $16.50 and a 52 week high of $37.13. The company has a current ratio of 4.81, a quick ratio of 3.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The stock has a market cap of $2.05 billion, a PE ratio of 16.83 and a beta of 0.64. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $31.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $30.35.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The credit services provider reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.06. EZCORP had a net margin of 9.97% and a return on equity of 13.99%. The company had revenue of $408.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $425.83 million. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that EZCORP will post 2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Pablo Espinosa sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.54, for a total value of $355,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 207,543 shares in the company, valued at $7,376,078.22. This trade represents a 4.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Ellen Bryant sold 30,000 shares of EZCORP stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.77, for a total value of $1,043,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 117,786 shares in the company, valued at $4,095,419.22. This represents a 20.30% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in EZPW. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new stake in shares of EZCORP in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $270,000. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its position in EZCORP by 3,013.1% during the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 2,201,763 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $76,115,000 after purchasing an additional 2,131,038 shares in the last quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG acquired a new stake in EZCORP during the 2nd quarter valued at $90,000. Triumph Capital Management raised its stake in EZCORP by 4.7% during the 2nd quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 14,324 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $495,000 after purchasing an additional 642 shares during the period. Finally, Navellier & Associates Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 203.0% in the second quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 65,347 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,259,000 after purchasing an additional 43,780 shares in the last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.