GAMMA Investing LLC Increases Stake in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW)

GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) by 2,261.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 74,513 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 71,357 shares during the quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in EZCORP were worth $1,097,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP boosted its stake in EZCORP by 1,699.2% during the fourth quarter. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP now owns 1,246,445 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $15,232,000 after buying an additional 1,177,166 shares during the period. Invenomic Capital Management LP boosted its stake in shares of EZCORP by 317.1% during the 4th quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP now owns 789,768 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $9,651,000 after purchasing an additional 600,435 shares during the period. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of EZCORP by 18.4% during the 4th quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC now owns 2,002,197 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $24,467,000 after purchasing an additional 310,706 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP boosted its stake in shares of EZCORP by 77.6% during the 4th quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 658,515 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $8,047,000 after purchasing an additional 287,818 shares during the period. Finally, Bastion Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of EZCORP during the 4th quarter worth about $3,054,000. 99.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

EZCORP Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ EZPW opened at $13.17 on Monday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $14.58 and its 200 day moving average price is $13.60. EZCORP, Inc. has a 1 year low of $9.66 and a 1 year high of $16.60. The company has a market capitalization of $724.53 million, a PE ratio of 11.45 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 2.13 and a current ratio of 2.91.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 28th. The credit services provider reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $306.32 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $310.35 million. EZCORP had a net margin of 7.25% and a return on equity of 11.04%. On average, research analysts predict that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO John Blair Jr. Powell sold 42,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.55, for a total value of $618,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 189,483 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,756,977.65. This trade represents a 18.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 86,000 shares of company stock worth $1,220,010. Insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on EZPW. BTIG Research began coverage on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Roth Mkm began coverage on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Monday, March 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $16.00 target price for the company. Roth Capital set a $16.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their target price on shares of EZCORP from $25.00 to $24.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of EZCORP from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $18.25.

EZCORP Profile

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.