EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eight brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, four have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $29.50.

EZPW has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Stephens increased their price target on EZCORP from $22.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Citigroup reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of EZCORP in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Wall Street Zen downgraded EZCORP from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, April 18th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $26.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded EZCORP from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th.

EZCORP Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ EZPW opened at $32.25 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 4.69 and a current ratio of 6.03. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $27.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $22.63. EZCORP has a fifty-two week low of $12.85 and a fifty-two week high of $32.50. The company has a market cap of $1.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.67 and a beta of 0.52.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last issued its quarterly 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $363.63 million. On average, sell-side analysts expect that EZCORP will post 1.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at EZCORP

In other EZCORP news, insider Ellen H. Bryant sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.00, for a total transaction of $500,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 147,786 shares in the company, valued at $3,694,650. This trade represents a 11.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Gary Tillett sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.50, for a total value of $255,000.00. Following the transaction, the director 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 84,138 shares of company stock valued at $2,102,416. Company insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Stephens Inc. AR purchased a new position in EZCORP during the 1st quarter worth $225,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in EZCORP during the 1st quarter worth $283,000. Moran Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in EZCORP during the 1st quarter worth $231,000. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC increased its holdings in EZCORP by 634.5% during the 1st quarter. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC now owns 189,239 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,803,000 after purchasing an additional 163,476 shares during the period. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in EZCORP during the 1st quarter worth $1,207,000. 99.83% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.