Nicole Swies Sells 24,138 Shares of EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Stock

EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) CRO Nicole Swies sold 24,138 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.75, for a total transaction of $597,415.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive directly owned 115,266 shares in the company, valued at $2,852,833.50. This trade represents a 17.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

EZCORP Stock Performance

NASDAQ:EZPW opened at $25.27 on Friday. EZCORP, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $12.85 and a fifty-two week high of $26.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 4.69 and a current ratio of 6.03. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $21.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $19.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.20 and a beta of 0.53.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in EZPW. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in EZCORP in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in EZCORP by 239.3% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,728 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 1,924 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG raised its holdings in EZCORP by 533.5% during the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 2,667 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 2,246 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of EZCORP by 15,019.0% during 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 last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EZPW has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of EZCORP from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $34.00 price objective on shares of EZCORP in a report on Friday, February 6th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $26.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Citizens Jmp raised their price target on shares of EZCORP from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $28.00.

EZCORP Company Profile

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.