EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Hold

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Saturday,Wall Street Zen reports.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their price objective on EZCORP from $45.00 to $44.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of EZCORP from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 3rd. Roth Capital reissued a “buy” rating and set a $40.00 price objective on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Friday. Piper Sandler set a $39.00 price objective on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Friday. Finally, Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Thursday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, EZCORP currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $38.83.

EZCORP Stock Performance

Shares of EZPW stock traded up $0.50 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $27.55. 1,550,889 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 871,249. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $30.62 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $29.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 3.45 and a current ratio of 4.54. EZCORP has a 12-month low of $16.50 and a 12-month high of $37.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.31 and a beta of 0.76.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 11th. The credit services provider reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $447.06 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $427.57 million. EZCORP had a return on equity of 14.12% and a net margin of 9.77%. On average, analysts forecast that EZCORP will post 2.20 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at EZCORP

In related news, insider Ellen Bryant sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.77, for a total transaction of $1,043,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 117,786 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,095,419.22. This trade represents a 20.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 2.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of EZCORP

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC increased its stake in shares of EZCORP by 4.3% during the third quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 1,083,289 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $32,239,000 after acquiring an additional 44,433 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP lifted its position in EZCORP by 5.0% in the third quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 894,872 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $26,631,000 after purchasing an additional 42,957 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in EZCORP by 178.2% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 696,826 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $20,738,000 after purchasing an additional 446,343 shares during the period. Boston Partners lifted its position in EZCORP by 230.5% in the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 621,905 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $18,511,000 after purchasing an additional 433,759 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in EZCORP by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 449,452 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $13,376,000 after purchasing an additional 31,828 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.83% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting EZCORP

Here are a few of the latest stories about EZPW:

• Positive Sentiment: EZCORP reported fourth-quarter earnings of $0.43 per share, ahead of consensus estimates, while revenue also topped expectations. Reports highlighted strong core pawn revenue and record quarterly results. Zacks earnings report
• Neutral Sentiment: EZPAWN expanded its instant-quote offering for gold, electronics and tools ahead of the holidays, a customer-facing initiative that could support seasonal activity, though no sales impact was reported. EZPAWN announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the earnings beat, coverage said shares fell after the results as costs overshadowed the strong quarter. This suggests expense trends may limit how much investors reward the revenue and earnings growth. Earnings reaction

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.