Ellen Bryant Sells 20,000 Shares of EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Stock

EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) insider Ellen Bryant sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.00, for a total transaction of $500,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 147,786 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,694,650. This trade represents a 11.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

EZCORP Stock Performance

Shares of EZCORP stock opened at $25.27 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $21.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $19.10. The company has a current ratio of 6.03, a quick ratio of 4.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The company has a market capitalization of $1.56 billion, a PE ratio of 16.20 and a beta of 0.53. EZCORP, Inc. has a 12 month low of $12.85 and a 12 month high of $26.35.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $374.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $363.63 million. EZCORP had a return on equity of 12.37% and a net margin of 9.18%. On average, research analysts predict that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of EZCORP

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of EZPW. Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in EZCORP by 47.5% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 3,167,748 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $61,518,000 after purchasing an additional 1,019,622 shares in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 70.2% in the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 1,063,677 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $14,764,000 after buying an additional 438,542 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its stake in shares of EZCORP by 28.5% in the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,975,421 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $37,612,000 after buying an additional 437,601 shares in the last quarter. Intrinsic Edge Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in EZCORP during the second quarter worth $5,939,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in EZCORP by 89.2% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 785,131 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $15,247,000 after buying an additional 370,103 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.83% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EZPW has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Citigroup reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of EZCORP in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of EZCORP from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Stephens increased their target price on EZCORP from $22.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Citizens Jmp lifted their price target on EZCORP from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group set a $34.00 price target on EZCORP in a report on Friday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $28.00.

About EZCORP

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.