EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on EZPW. Zacks Research downgraded shares of EZCORP from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (a-)” rating on shares of EZCORP in a report on Monday, July 6th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on EZCORP from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Citigroup reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of EZCORP in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Citizens Jmp boosted their price objective on EZCORP from $33.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $38.80.

EZCORP Price Performance

NASDAQ EZPW opened at $29.54 on Friday. EZCORP has a 52 week low of $13.07 and a 52 week high of $37.13. The company has a quick ratio of 3.52, a current ratio of 4.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The company has a market capitalization of $1.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.05 and a beta of 0.64. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $32.54 and its 200-day moving average price is $28.51.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at EZCORP

In related news, Director Pablo Lagos Espinosa sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.54, for a total transaction of $355,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 207,543 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,376,078.22. This represents a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Jason A. Kulas sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.56, for a total transaction of $671,200.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 172,948 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,804,134.88. The trade was a 10.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 40,000 shares of company stock worth $1,346,600 in the last three months. Insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in EZPW. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of EZCORP during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of EZCORP in the second quarter worth about $31,000. KBC Group NV bought a new position in EZCORP during the first quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Deutsche Bank AG grew its holdings in EZCORP by 533.5% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 2,667 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 2,246 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC grew its holdings in EZCORP by 21.2% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,146 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $81,000 after buying an additional 724 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.83% of the company’s stock.

About EZCORP

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.