EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Hits New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $16.64 and last traded at $16.49, with a volume of 316664 shares. The stock had previously closed at $16.22.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on EZPW shares. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $25.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $17.00 price objective on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. BTIG Research began coverage on EZCORP in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised EZCORP from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $18.50.

EZCORP Stock Up 2.0%

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.93 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 5.00 and a current ratio of 6.31. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $14.33 and a 200-day moving average of $14.34.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.23 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $310.98 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $302.25 million. EZCORP had a net margin of 7.96% and a return on equity of 11.85%. Research analysts predict that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at EZCORP

In other EZCORP news, COO John Blair Jr. Powell sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.81, for a total transaction of $48,335.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 145,983 shares in the company, valued at $2,016,025.23. This represents a 2.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 2.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of EZCORP

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP increased its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 1,699.2% in the fourth quarter. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP now owns 1,246,445 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $15,232,000 after purchasing an additional 1,177,166 shares during the period. Boston Partners boosted its stake in EZCORP by 289.7% during the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,569,488 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $23,499,000 after buying an additional 1,166,758 shares during the period. Fourth Sail Capital LP grew its position in EZCORP by 503.6% during the first quarter. Fourth Sail Capital LP now owns 957,262 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $14,091,000 after buying an additional 798,679 shares in the last quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP increased its stake in EZCORP by 317.1% in the 4th quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP now owns 789,768 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $9,651,000 after acquiring an additional 600,435 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of EZCORP in the 1st quarter valued at about $8,310,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.83% of the company’s stock.

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.