EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Trading Up 10.7% – Here’s Why

EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) shares shot up 10.7% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $32.07 and last traded at $31.83. Approximately 597,268 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 35% from the average daily volume of 922,863 shares. The stock had previously closed at $28.76.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EZPW has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded EZCORP from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Roth Capital restated a “buy” rating and set a $40.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Citizens Jmp raised their price target on shares of EZCORP from $33.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of EZCORP from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group set a $44.00 price objective on shares of EZCORP in a report on Friday, May 8th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $38.80.

EZCORP Stock Up 12.0%

The company has a quick ratio of 3.45, a current ratio of 4.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The company has a market cap of $1.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.27 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a fifty day moving average of $31.39 and a 200 day moving average of $29.57.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The credit services provider reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.41 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $408.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $425.83 million. EZCORP had a return on equity of 13.99% and a net margin of 9.97%. On average, research analysts anticipate that EZCORP, Inc. will post 2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Pablo Lagos Espinosa sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.54, for a total transaction of $355,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 207,543 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,376,078.22. The trade was a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EZPW. Raiffeisen Bank International AG bought a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the 2nd quarter valued at $90,000. Triumph Capital Management raised its holdings in EZCORP by 4.7% in the 2nd quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 14,324 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $495,000 after purchasing an additional 642 shares during the period. Navellier & Associates Inc. raised its holdings in EZCORP by 203.0% in the 2nd quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 65,347 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,259,000 after purchasing an additional 43,780 shares during the period. Ancora Advisors LLC purchased a new position in EZCORP during the second quarter valued at $6,452,000. Finally, Harbor Investment Advisory LLC purchased a new position in EZCORP during the second quarter valued at $31,000. 99.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

EZCORP Company Profile

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.