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

Shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eight ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, five have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $28.00.

EZPW has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded EZCORP from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $34.00 price target on EZCORP in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $26.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Zacks Research upgraded EZCORP from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Stephens increased their price target on EZCORP from $22.00 to $26.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th.

EZCORP Stock Down 2.2%

NASDAQ EZPW opened at $26.58 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $25.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $21.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 6.03 and a quick ratio of 4.69. EZCORP has a fifty-two week low of $12.85 and a fifty-two week high of $27.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.64 billion, a PE ratio of 17.04 and a beta of 0.52.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 analysts’ expectations of $363.63 million. Equities analysts expect that EZCORP will post 1.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at EZCORP

In related news, Director Pablo Lagos Espinosa sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.00, for a total value of $500,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 208,177 shares in the company, valued at $5,204,425. This represents a 8.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CRO Nicole Swies sold 24,138 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.75, for a total value of $597,415.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive owned 115,266 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,852,833.50. The trade was a 17.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 84,138 shares of company stock valued at $2,102,416 over the last quarter. 2.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of EZCORP

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Arizona State Retirement System increased its holdings in EZCORP by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 15,960 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $310,000 after purchasing an additional 569 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in EZCORP by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 73,064 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,014,000 after purchasing an additional 648 shares during the period. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. increased its position in EZCORP by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 18,173 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $353,000 after purchasing an additional 685 shares during the period. CWM LLC increased its position in EZCORP by 21.2% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,146 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $81,000 after purchasing an additional 724 shares during the period. Finally, New York State Teachers Retirement System increased its position in EZCORP by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 80,959 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,541,000 after purchasing an additional 860 shares during the period. 99.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.