EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Stock Price Up 3.4% – Should You Buy?

Shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) rose 3.4% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $15.76 and last traded at $15.85. Approximately 1,349,430 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 139% from the average daily volume of 564,892 shares. The stock had previously closed at $15.32.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on EZPW shares. Roth Capital set a $16.00 price objective on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Monday, March 17th. StockNews.com cut EZCORP from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 29th. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price objective on EZCORP from $19.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Roth Mkm initiated coverage on EZCORP in a research note on Monday, March 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $16.00 target price for the company. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $13.50 price target on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, EZCORP has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $16.88.

EZCORP Stock Up 3.0 %

The company has a market cap of $866.94 million, a PE ratio of 13.72 and a beta of 0.81. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $13.64 and a 200-day moving average of $12.45. The company has a quick ratio of 2.13, a current ratio of 2.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The credit services provider reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.07. EZCORP had a return on equity of 11.04% and a net margin of 7.25%. Sell-side analysts predict that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On EZCORP

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC raised its position in shares of EZCORP by 18.4% during the 4th quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC now owns 2,002,197 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $24,467,000 after buying an additional 310,706 shares in the last quarter. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 1,177,166 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in EZCORP by 23.9% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,195,784 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $14,612,000 after acquiring an additional 231,018 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in EZCORP by 0.3% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,084,777 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $12,160,000 after purchasing an additional 2,809 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP lifted its stake in EZCORP by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 1,022,570 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $12,496,000 after purchasing an additional 12,800 shares during the last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

EZCORP Company Profile

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.