Miller Global Investments LLC Buys New Holdings in EZCORP, Inc. $EZPW

Miller Global Investments LLC purchased a new position in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 74,708 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,451,000. EZCORP makes up about 1.3% of Miller Global Investments LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Miller Global Investments LLC owned 0.12% of EZCORP as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in shares of EZCORP by 0.9% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 73,064 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,014,000 after buying an additional 648 shares during the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System boosted its position in shares of EZCORP by 1.1% during the third quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 80,959 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,541,000 after acquiring an additional 860 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS grew its stake in EZCORP by 7.4% during the second quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 13,362 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $185,000 after acquiring an additional 926 shares in the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH grew its stake in EZCORP by 4.7% during the third quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 22,484 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $428,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its holdings in EZCORP by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 13,013 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $248,000 after acquiring an additional 1,100 shares during the last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other EZCORP news, CRO Nicole Swies sold 24,138 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.75, for a total transaction of $597,415.50. Following the sale, the executive directly 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. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Gary Tillett sold 10,000 shares of the company’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 value of $255,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 133,483 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,403,816.50. This trade represents a 6.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 84,138 shares of company stock worth $2,102,416. Insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EZPW has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Stephens boosted their price target on shares of EZCORP from $22.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of EZCORP in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Citizens Jmp boosted their target price on EZCORP from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating 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 note on Saturday, February 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of EZCORP in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, EZCORP has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $28.00.

EZCORP Price Performance

EZPW stock opened at $25.80 on Friday. EZCORP, Inc. has a 52 week low of $12.85 and a 52 week high of $27.30. 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 company has a fifty day simple moving average of $23.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $20.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.54 and a beta of 0.49.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last posted its 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 for 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%. Analysts anticipate that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.