Brokerages Set EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) Price Target at $20.50

EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $20.50.

EZPW has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of EZCORP in a report on Friday, November 14th. Citizens Jmp assumed coverage on EZCORP in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. They set a “market outperform” rating and a $23.00 target price for the company. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price target on EZCORP from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 17th. Finally, JMP Securities set a $23.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Monday, November 3rd.

Insider Transactions at EZCORP

In related news, Director Matthew W. Appel sold 9,038 shares of EZCORP stock in a transaction on Friday, September 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.02, for a total value of $162,864.76. Following the transaction, the director owned 133,371 shares in the company, valued at $2,403,345.42. This trade represents a 6.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On EZCORP

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in shares of EZCORP in the third quarter worth about $29,000. USA Financial Formulas bought a new stake in EZCORP during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in EZCORP by 239.3% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,728 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 1,924 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in EZCORP by 15,019.0% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,175 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 3,154 shares during the period. Finally, CWM LLC increased its position in EZCORP by 126.3% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,422 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $65,000 after buying an additional 1,910 shares during the period. 99.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

EZCORP Stock Performance

EZPW stock opened at $20.01 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $18.41 and a two-hundred day moving average of $16.06. EZCORP has a 12 month low of $11.56 and a 12 month high of $20.29. The company has a market capitalization of $1.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.19 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a quick ratio of 4.37, a current ratio of 5.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 13th. The credit services provider reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $335.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $325.09 million. EZCORP had a net margin of 8.60% and a return on equity of 12.00%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that EZCORP will post 1.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.