Vanguard Group Inc. Buys 9,968 Shares of EZCORP, Inc. $EZPW

Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) by 0.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,263,712 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,968 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 5.93% of EZCORP worth $48,042,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC boosted 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 acquiring an additional 310,706 shares during the last quarter. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP boosted its position in shares of EZCORP by 1,699.2% during the 4th quarter. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP now owns 1,246,445 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $15,232,000 after acquiring an additional 1,177,166 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its position in shares of EZCORP by 23.9% during the 4th 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. Two Sigma Advisers LP boosted its position in shares of EZCORP by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 1,022,570 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $12,496,000 after acquiring an additional 12,800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fourth Sail Capital LP boosted its position in shares of EZCORP by 503.6% during the 1st quarter. Fourth Sail Capital LP now owns 957,262 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $14,091,000 after acquiring an additional 798,679 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.83% of the company’s stock.

EZCORP Stock Performance

NASDAQ:EZPW opened at $16.22 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $14.33 and a 200 day moving average of $14.34. The company has a market capitalization of $987.80 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.67 and a beta of 0.56. EZCORP, Inc. has a 1-year low of $10.56 and a 1-year high of $16.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 6.31 and a quick ratio of 5.00.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $310.98 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $302.25 million. EZCORP had a return on equity of 11.85% and a net margin of 7.96%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on EZPW. BTIG Research began coverage on EZCORP in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $25.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded EZCORP from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 14th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $17.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, EZCORP has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $18.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other EZCORP news, COO John Blair Jr. Powell sold 3,500 shares of EZCORP stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.81, for a total value of $48,335.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 145,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,016,025.23. The trade was a 2.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 2.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.