FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS) Reaches New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Shares of FirstCash Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCFS) hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $235.97 and last traded at $230.54, with a volume of 486242 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $233.00.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price objective on FirstCash from $242.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Zacks Research upgraded FirstCash from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings cut FirstCash from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Wall Street Zen cut FirstCash from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on FirstCash from $205.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $198.00.

FirstCash Stock Performance

The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $202.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $178.48. The company has a quick ratio of 3.42, a current ratio of 4.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. The company has a market capitalization of $10.11 billion, a PE ratio of 28.89 and a beta of 0.52.

FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by $0.39. FirstCash had a return on equity of 18.68% and a net margin of 9.15%.The company had revenue of $1.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.07 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 25.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that FirstCash Holdings, Inc. will post 11.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

FirstCash Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. FirstCash’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.05%.

Insider Transactions at FirstCash

In other news, insider Howard F. Hambleton sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.12, for a total value of $740,480.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 35,406 shares in the company, valued at $6,554,358.72. This trade represents a 10.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Thomas Brent Stuart sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.53, for a total value of $1,825,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 150,846 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,533,920.38. The trade was a 6.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 18,500 shares of company stock valued at $3,440,840. 2.86% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of FCFS. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of FirstCash in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of FirstCash in the first quarter worth about $26,000. Rothschild Investment LLC raised its stake in shares of FirstCash by 127.8% in the third quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of FirstCash in the first quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its stake in shares of FirstCash by 490.9% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 195 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. 80.30% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

FirstCash Company Profile

FirstCash, Inc (NASDAQ: FCFS) is a leading integrated operator of pawn stores and provider of short-term consumer loan services in the United States and Mexico. Through its retail pawn outlets, FirstCash offers collateral-based loans secured by personal property, enabling customers to access liquidity without a credit history or traditional bank account. The company also purchases, trades and sells a broad range of secondhand merchandise, including electronics, jewelry and power tools, through its network of conveniently located stores.

In addition to its pawn-broking activities, FirstCash provides unsecured consumer loans designed to meet urgent cash needs.