Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC Invests $426,000 in EZCORP, Inc. $EZPW

Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC bought a new position in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 22,351 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $426,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd raised its stake in EZCORP by 70.2% during the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 1,063,677 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $14,764,000 after purchasing an additional 438,542 shares during the period. Intrinsic Edge Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the 2nd quarter worth $5,939,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of EZCORP by 11.4% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,610,029 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $68,735,000 after buying an additional 369,817 shares during the period. HRT Financial LP raised its position in shares of EZCORP by 471.5% in the 2nd quarter. HRT Financial LP now owns 404,006 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $5,607,000 after buying an additional 333,317 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in EZCORP by 163.6% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 483,211 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $9,200,000 after acquiring an additional 299,920 shares during the last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other EZCORP news, Director Pablo Lagos Espinosa sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.00, for a total value of $500,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 208,177 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,204,425. This represents a 8.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Ellen H. Bryant sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.00, for a total value of $500,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 147,786 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,694,650. This represents a 11.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 74,138 shares of company stock valued at $1,847,416 over the last ninety days. 2.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

EZCORP Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:EZPW opened at $25.43 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $21.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $19.37. The company has a market cap of $1.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.30 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 4.69 and a current ratio of 6.03. EZCORP, Inc. has a one year low of $12.85 and a one year high of $26.35.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $374.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $363.63 million. EZCORP had a return on equity of 12.37% and a net margin of 9.18%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on EZPW. Zacks Research upgraded EZCORP from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Citizens Jmp boosted their target price on EZCORP from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Citigroup restated an “outperform” rating on shares of EZCORP in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $26.00 price objective on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of EZCORP from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, EZCORP currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $28.00.

EZCORP Company Profile

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.