FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report issued on Saturday.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on FCFS. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $217.00 target price on FirstCash in a research note on Friday. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of FirstCash in a report on Friday, October 31st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of FirstCash in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded FirstCash from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, FirstCash currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $169.40.

FirstCash Stock Up 2.4%

Shares of FCFS opened at $181.92 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 4.55 and a quick ratio of 3.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.52 and a beta of 0.49. FirstCash has a 1 year low of $109.51 and a 1 year high of $188.75. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $164.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $154.06.

FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $2.64 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.54 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $1.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. FirstCash had a return on equity of 17.99% and a net margin of 9.02%.The firm’s revenue was up 19.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.12 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that FirstCash will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

FirstCash declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, October 30th that permits the company to repurchase $150.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 2.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO R Douglas Orr sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.99, for a total value of $612,465.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 37,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,603,072.66. This represents a 8.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Randel G. Owen sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.20, for a total value of $228,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 7,651 shares in the company, valued at $1,164,482.20. This represents a 16.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 50,500 shares of company stock valued at $8,150,640 in the last 90 days. 2.93% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of FirstCash

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in FirstCash by 4.7% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 22,946 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,761,000 after purchasing an additional 1,021 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of FirstCash by 9.7% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 389,509 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,866,000 after buying an additional 34,364 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of FirstCash by 237.2% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 62,057 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,467,000 after buying an additional 43,653 shares during the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS boosted its stake in shares of FirstCash by 5.0% in the second quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS now owns 8,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,135,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blair William & Co. IL acquired a new stake in FirstCash during the second quarter worth about $248,000. 80.30% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More FirstCash News

Here are the key news stories impacting FirstCash this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat estimates — FirstCash reported $2.64 EPS vs. $2.54 consensus and revenue of $1.06B vs. $1.01B expected; revenue rose ~19.8% year‑over‑year and the company posted record quarterly and full‑year operating results. These beats and strong margins support near‑term upside for the stock. View Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Board declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.42/share (ex‑dividend Feb 18; pay Feb 27) — the payout provides income support for shareholders and may attract income‑oriented investors; the reported yield is roughly 0.9%. Press Release: Dividend & Results
• Positive Sentiment: Retail footprint growth — the company added 28 new pawn locations in Q4 through acquisitions and openings, supporting revenue diversification and same‑store growth potential going forward. Business Insider: Expansion Details
• Neutral Sentiment: Elevated trading volume — today’s volume is above the stock’s recent average, indicating higher investor attention but not directional proof by itself. (Background market data.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Short interest data appears anomalous — a published February entry shows short interest listed as zero shares (no change from prior), which likely reflects a reporting/data issue rather than meaningful short covering. Monitor future filings for clarity.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage and previews — outlets published earnings previews and Q4 snapshots following the release; these provide context but contain no new material surprises beyond the company release. Houston Chronicle: Q4 Snapshot Benzinga: Earnings Preview

About FirstCash

FirstCash, Inc (NASDAQ: FCFS) is a leading integrated operator of pawn stores and provider of short-term consumer loan services in the United States and Mexico. Through its retail pawn outlets, FirstCash offers collateral-based loans secured by personal property, enabling customers to access liquidity without a credit history or traditional bank account. The company also purchases, trades and sells a broad range of secondhand merchandise, including electronics, jewelry and power tools, through its network of conveniently located stores.

In addition to its pawn-broking activities, FirstCash provides unsecured consumer loans designed to meet urgent cash needs.