Pablo Lagos Espinosa Sells 20,000 Shares of EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Stock

EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) Director Pablo Lagos Espinosa sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.00, for a total transaction of $500,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 208,177 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,204,425. This trade represents a 8.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

EZCORP Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of EZCORP stock opened at $25.37 on Friday. EZCORP, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $12.85 and a fifty-two week high of $26.35. The business’s fifty day moving average is $21.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $19.20. The company has a quick ratio of 4.69, a current ratio of 6.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The firm has a market cap of $1.57 billion, a PE ratio of 16.26 and a beta of 0.53.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.15. EZCORP had a return on equity of 12.37% and a net margin of 9.18%.The firm had revenue of $374.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $363.63 million. Analysts anticipate that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EZPW has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of EZCORP from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $26.00 price objective on shares of EZCORP in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Wall Street Zen raised EZCORP from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Finally, Stephens upped their price target on EZCORP from $22.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, EZCORP currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $28.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in shares of EZCORP by 47.5% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 3,167,748 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $61,518,000 after buying an additional 1,019,622 shares in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd grew its position in EZCORP by 70.2% in the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 1,063,677 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $14,764,000 after acquiring an additional 438,542 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in shares of EZCORP by 28.5% during the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,975,421 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $37,612,000 after purchasing an additional 437,601 shares during the period. Intrinsic Edge Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of EZCORP during the second quarter worth $5,939,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of EZCORP by 89.2% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 785,131 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $15,247,000 after purchasing an additional 370,103 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.83% of the company’s stock.

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.