Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Has $948,000 Stake in EZCORP, Inc. $EZPW

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd boosted its stake in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) by 398.4% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 68,293 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 54,590 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd owned about 0.12% of EZCORP worth $948,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of EZCORP by 60.4% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,062 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $75,000 after buying an additional 1,906 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System grew its stake in shares of EZCORP by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 80,099 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,179,000 after buying an additional 3,279 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of EZCORP by 3.4% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 255,338 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,759,000 after buying an additional 8,451 shares during the period. Alps Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of EZCORP in the 1st quarter valued at about $383,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of EZCORP in the 1st quarter valued at about $8,310,000. 99.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

EZCORP Trading Down 2.5%

Shares of EZPW stock opened at $17.68 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $17.86 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $15.58. 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, Inc. has a 1 year low of $11.09 and a 1 year high of $19.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.81 and a beta of 0.62.

Insider Buying and Selling at EZCORP

In related news, Director Matthew W. Appel sold 9,038 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.02, for a total value of $162,864.76. Following the sale, the director directly owned 133,371 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,403,345.42. This trade represents a 6.35% 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. Insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on EZPW shares. Citigroup started coverage on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Monday. They issued a “market outperform” rating on the stock. Citizens Jmp started coverage on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Monday. They issued a “market outperform” rating and a $23.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price target on shares of EZCORP from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Finally, JMP Securities set a $23.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $20.33.

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.