StockNews.com Upgrades EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) to Buy

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) was upgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Wednesday.

EZPW has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $13.50 price objective on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price objective on shares of EZCORP from $19.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Roth Capital set a $16.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Roth Mkm initiated coverage on EZCORP in a report on Monday, March 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $16.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $16.88.

EZCORP Stock Down 4.3 %

EZPW stock opened at $15.67 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.91 and a quick ratio of 2.13. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $14.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $13.15. EZCORP has a 12 month low of $9.66 and a 12 month high of $16.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $860.89 million, a PE ratio of 13.63 and a beta of 0.81.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last announced its earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The credit services provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $306.32 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $310.35 million. EZCORP had a return on equity of 11.04% and a net margin of 7.25%. Equities analysts expect that EZCORP will post 1.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On EZCORP

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of EZCORP by 97.0% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,156 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 1,554 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in EZCORP during the fourth quarter worth about $122,000. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of EZCORP in the 4th quarter worth about $138,000. LPL Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of EZCORP by 39.3% in the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 14,430 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $176,000 after purchasing an additional 4,070 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Teza Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of EZCORP by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. Teza Capital Management LLC now owns 14,425 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $176,000 after purchasing an additional 896 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.83% of the company’s stock.

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.