Head-To-Head Survey: Jernigan Capital (NASDAQ:JCAP) versus EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW)

Jernigan Capital (NASDAQ:JCAP) and EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings, risk, institutional ownership, dividends and valuation.

Risk and Volatility

Jernigan Capital has a beta of -0.02, indicating that its share price is 102% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, EZCORP has a beta of 0.71, indicating that its share price is 29% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Jernigan Capital and EZCORP’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Jernigan Capital	23.50%	35.87%	8.16%
EZCORP	9.97%	13.99%	7.49%

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings for Jernigan Capital and EZCORP, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Jernigan Capital	1	1	4	1	2.71
EZCORP	0	2	6	0	2.75

Jernigan Capital currently has a consensus price target of $27.50, indicating a potential upside of 36.54%. EZCORP has a consensus price target of $39.00, indicating a potential upside of 35.70%. Given Jernigan Capital’s higher possible upside, equities analysts clearly believe Jernigan Capital is more favorable than EZCORP.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Jernigan Capital and EZCORP”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Jernigan Capital	$613.29 million	1.89	$187.96 million	$2.45	8.22
EZCORP	$1.58 billion	1.11	$109.61 million	$1.98	14.52

Jernigan Capital has higher earnings, but lower revenue than EZCORP. Jernigan Capital is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than EZCORP, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

99.8% of EZCORP shares are owned by institutional investors. 8.3% of Jernigan Capital shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 2.1% of EZCORP shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Jernigan Capital beats EZCORP on 9 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Jernigan Capital

Jernigan Capital is a New York Stock Exchange-listed real estate investment trust (NYSE: JCAP) that provides debt and equity capital to private developers, owners and operators of self-storage facilities with a view to eventual outright ownership of facilities the Company finances. The Company's mission is to maximize shareholder value by accumulating a multi-billion dollar investment portfolio consisting of the newest, most attractive and best located self-storage facilities in the United States through a talented and experienced team demonstrating the highest levels of integrity, dedication, excellence and community.

About EZCORP

EZCORP, Inc. provides pawn services in the United States and Latin America. The company operates through three segments: U.S. Pawn, Latin America Pawn, and Other Investments. The company offers pawn loans collateralized by tangible personal property, jewelry, consumer electronics, tools, sporting goods, and musical instruments. It also retails merchandise, primarily collateral forfeited from pawn lending operations and pre-owned merchandise purchased from customers. In addition, the company provides EZ+, a web-based application that allow customers to manage their pawn transactions, layaways, and loyalty rewards online. Further, it operates under the EZPAWN, Value Pawn & Jewelry, Empeño Fácil, Cash Apoyo Efectivo, GuatePrenda, and MaxiEfectivo brands. EZCORP, Inc. was incorporated in 1989 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.