Short Interest in FirstCash Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCFS) Declines By 12.5%

FirstCash Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCFS) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 519,981 shares, a decrease of 12.5% from the January 15th total of 594,289 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 235,136 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.2 days. Currently, 1.4% of the shares of the company are sold short. Currently, 1.4% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 235,136 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.2 days.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Rick L. Wessel sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.39, for a total value of $3,127,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 866,982 shares in the company, valued at $135,587,314.98. The trade was a 2.25% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Howard F. Hambleton sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.65, for a total transaction of $355,300.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 39,406 shares in the company, valued at $7,000,475.90. This trade represents a 4.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 35,000 shares of company stock worth $5,680,305 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 14.77% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On FirstCash

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. State of Wyoming lifted its position in shares of FirstCash by 4.3% during the third quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 1,765 shares of the company’s stock worth $280,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Profund Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in FirstCash by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 1,632 shares of the company’s stock worth $259,000 after buying an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Ascent Group LLC grew its stake in shares of FirstCash by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 1,423 shares of the company’s stock worth $227,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of FirstCash by 0.5% in the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 16,937 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,289,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC increased its position in shares of FirstCash by 1.0% during the third quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC now owns 8,703 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,379,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. 80.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

FirstCash Price Performance

Shares of FCFS opened at $181.89 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $167.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $156.76. The stock has a market cap of $8.00 billion, a PE ratio of 24.51 and a beta of 0.49. FirstCash has a 1-year low of $109.51 and a 1-year high of $188.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 4.55 and a quick ratio of 3.36.

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

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

FirstCash Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 18th will be issued a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 18th. FirstCash’s payout ratio is currently 22.64%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on FCFS shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of FirstCash in a report on Monday, December 29th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of FirstCash in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $217.00 price target on FirstCash in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Zacks Research downgraded FirstCash from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of FirstCash from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $169.40.

FirstCash Company Profile

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.