Head-To-Head Contrast: Jiayin Group (NASDAQ:JFIN) & EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW)

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) and Jiayin Group (NASDAQ:JFIN) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, institutional ownership, valuation, risk, earnings, analyst recommendations and profitability.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

99.8% of EZCORP shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 44.1% of Jiayin Group shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.1% of EZCORP shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 51.2% of Jiayin Group shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for EZCORP and Jiayin Group, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
EZCORP	0	2	6	0	2.75
Jiayin Group	1	0	0	0	1.00

EZCORP currently has a consensus price target of $39.00, suggesting a potential upside of 41.72%. Given EZCORP’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts clearly believe EZCORP is more favorable than Jiayin Group.

Profitability

This table compares EZCORP and Jiayin Group’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
EZCORP	9.97%	13.99%	7.49%
Jiayin Group	5.39%	5.02%	2.57%

Volatility & Risk

EZCORP has a beta of 0.76, suggesting that its stock price is 24% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Jiayin Group has a beta of 0.89, suggesting that its stock price is 11% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares EZCORP and Jiayin Group”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
EZCORP	$1.27 billion	1.33	$109.61 million	$1.98	13.90
Jiayin Group	$4.05 billion	0.02	$219.61 million	$0.64	2.09

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

Summary

EZCORP beats Jiayin Group on 10 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About EZCORP

EZCORP, Inc. operates pawnshops that provide short-term loans secured by customers’ personal property and sell pre-owned merchandise. Its stores offer customers access to pawn loans and a way to buy or sell goods. Products commonly include jewelry, electronics, tools and musical instruments. The company operates under brands including EZPAWN and serves customers in the United States and parts of Latin America. Founded in 1989, EZCORP is headquartered in Austin, Texas. Its business focuses on pawn lending and the retail sale of secondhand goods.

About Jiayin Group

Jiayin Group Inc. (NASDAQ: JFIN) is a China-based financial technology company that operates an online consumer finance platform. The company uses digital technologies, data analysis and risk-management tools to facilitate access to personal loans for individual borrowers, particularly customers who may be underserved by traditional financial institutions. Jiayin’s platform connects borrowers with funding sources, including institutional investors and other financing partners. Its services generally include borrower acquisition, credit assessment, loan matching and facilitation, as well as post-loan servicing and collection support.