Insider Selling: FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS) COO Sells $1,825,300.00 in Stock

FirstCash Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCFS) COO Thomas Brent Stuart sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.53, for a total transaction of $1,825,300.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 150,846 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,533,920.38. This trade represents a 6.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

FirstCash Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of FCFS opened at $183.10 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 3.36 and a current ratio of 4.55. FirstCash Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $109.51 and a 52 week high of $188.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.68 and a beta of 0.49. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $169.17 and a 200-day moving average of $157.50.

FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $2.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.54 by $0.10. FirstCash had a return on equity of 17.99% and a net margin of 9.02%.The business had revenue of $1.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.12 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that FirstCash Holdings, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

FirstCash announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, October 30th that allows the company to buyback $150.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 2.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

FirstCash Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 18th will be issued a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 18th. FirstCash’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.64%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in FirstCash in the third quarter worth $25,000. Rothschild Investment LLC grew its stake in FirstCash by 127.8% in the third quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in shares of FirstCash during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its position in shares of FirstCash by 490.9% during 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 period. Finally, Community Bank N.A. acquired a new position in shares of FirstCash during the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. 80.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FCFS has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of FirstCash from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 15th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of FirstCash in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of FirstCash in a report on Monday, December 29th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $217.00 price target on FirstCash in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded FirstCash from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, FirstCash presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $177.50.

About FirstCash

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.