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

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on the company. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $26.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Citigroup restated an “outperform” rating on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Citizens Jmp raised their target price on EZCORP from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Stephens lifted their target price on EZCORP from $22.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, JMP Securities set a $23.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $27.00.

EZCORP Stock Performance

NASDAQ EZPW opened at $25.63 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $20.85 and a 200-day moving average price of $18.41. The firm has a market cap of $1.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.43 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 6.03 and a quick ratio of 4.37. EZCORP has a 1 year low of $12.44 and a 1 year high of $25.77.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.15. EZCORP had a net margin of 9.18% and a return on equity of 12.37%. The company had revenue of $374.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $363.63 million. As a group, equities research analysts predict that EZCORP will post 1.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On EZCORP

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in EZCORP in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in EZCORP during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Covestor Ltd increased its holdings in EZCORP by 239.3% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,728 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 1,924 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in EZCORP by 15,019.0% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,175 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 3,154 shares during the period. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its stake in shares of EZCORP by 126.3% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,422 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 1,910 shares during the last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.