EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Stock Rating Lowered by Zacks Research

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) was downgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on EZPW. Citizens Jmp increased their price objective on EZCORP from $33.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on EZCORP from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (a-)” rating on shares of EZCORP in a report on Monday. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group set a $44.00 price objective on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Friday, May 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $38.80.

EZCORP Trading Down 9.3%

NASDAQ:EZPW opened at $32.16 on Tuesday. EZCORP has a 1-year low of $13.07 and a 1-year high of $37.13. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $32.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $27.46. The company has a current ratio of 4.71, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.48 and a beta of 0.64.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The credit services provider reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.22. EZCORP had a net margin of 9.91% and a return on equity of 13.45%. The company had revenue of $434.90 million for the quarter. On average, equities analysts expect that EZCORP will post 2 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at EZCORP

In related news, Director Jason A. Kulas sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.56, for a total value of $671,200.00. Following the sale, the director owned 172,948 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,804,134.88. This represents a 10.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Pablo Lagos Espinosa sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.00, for a total transaction of $320,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 217,543 shares in the company, valued at $6,961,376. The trade was a 4.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 2.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On EZCORP

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sigma Planning Corp grew its position in EZCORP by 3.9% in the first quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 13,707 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $348,000 after acquiring an additional 510 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 15,960 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $310,000 after purchasing an additional 569 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 73,064 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,014,000 after purchasing an additional 648 shares during the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. increased its position in EZCORP by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 18,173 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $353,000 after purchasing an additional 685 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC increased its position in EZCORP by 21.2% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,146 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $81,000 after purchasing an additional 724 shares in the last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.