Brokerages Set EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) Target Price at $28.00

Shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eight research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $28.00.

Several analysts have recently issued reports on EZPW shares. Citigroup reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $26.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $34.00 price target on EZCORP in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of EZCORP in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research raised EZCORP from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th.

Insider Buying and Selling at EZCORP

In other EZCORP news, Director Gary Tillett sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.50, for a total transaction of $255,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 133,483 shares in the company, valued at $3,403,816.50. The trade was a 6.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Pablo Lagos Espinosa sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.00, for a total transaction of $500,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 208,177 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,204,425. This represents a 8.77% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 84,138 shares of company stock valued at $2,102,416. 2.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 11.4% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,610,029 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $68,735,000 after buying an additional 369,817 shares during the period. Amitell Capital Pte Ltd purchased a new position in EZCORP in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,668,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in EZCORP in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $998,000. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its position in EZCORP by 43.7% in the second quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 160,683 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,230,000 after acquiring an additional 48,831 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fourth Sail Capital LP grew its position in EZCORP by 30.7% in the second quarter. Fourth Sail Capital LP now owns 1,251,362 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $17,369,000 after acquiring an additional 294,100 shares in the last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

EZCORP Trading Down 0.8%

NASDAQ EZPW opened at $25.98 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $1.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.65 and a beta of 0.49. EZCORP has a 12 month low of $12.85 and a 12 month high of $27.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 6.03 and a quick ratio of 4.69. The company has a 50-day moving average of $23.49 and a 200-day moving average of $20.19.

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

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.