EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Sets New 12-Month High – Here’s What Happened

Shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $17.53 and last traded at $17.32, with a volume of 42993 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $17.04.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on EZPW shares. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $25.00 price objective on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of EZCORP from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 14th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $17.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $18.50.

EZCORP Trading Up 1.5%

The company has a market cap of $1.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.55 and a beta of 0.63. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $15.23 and its 200-day moving average is $14.63. The company has a current ratio of 6.31, a quick ratio of 5.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.23 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $310.98 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $302.25 million. EZCORP had a net margin of 7.96% and a return on equity of 11.85%. Research analysts anticipate that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at EZCORP

In other news, Director Matthew W. Appel sold 9,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.03, for a total value of $153,270.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 142,409 shares in the company, valued at $2,425,225.27. This represents a 5.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 2.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On EZCORP

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ritholtz Wealth Management purchased a new stake in EZCORP during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $382,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its holdings in EZCORP by 6.7% during the 1st quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 60,614 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $901,000 after buying an additional 3,792 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in EZCORP by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 92,641 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,132,000 after buying an additional 5,524 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of EZCORP in the first quarter valued at $902,000. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 680.7% in the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 148,480 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,186,000 after purchasing an additional 129,460 shares in the last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About EZCORP

EZCORP, Inc provides pawn services in the United States and Latin America. The company operates through three segments: U.S. Pawn, Latin America Pawn, and Other Investments. The company offers pawn loans collateralized by tangible personal property, jewelry, consumer electronics, tools, sporting goods, and musical instruments.