EZCORP, Inc. $EZPW Stock Position Increased by BNP Paribas Financial Markets

BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) by 89.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 785,131 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 370,103 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned approximately 1.29% of EZCORP worth $15,247,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of EZCORP in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in shares of EZCORP in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. CWM LLC grew its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 21.2% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,146 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $81,000 after acquiring an additional 724 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 913.5% in the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 4,216 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $79,000 after acquiring an additional 3,800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd acquired a new position in shares of EZCORP in the 4th quarter worth $206,000. 99.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at EZCORP

In other EZCORP news, Director Jason A. Kulas sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.56, for a total value of $671,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 172,948 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,804,134.88. The trade was a 10.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

EZCORP Price Performance

EZPW opened at $31.95 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $1.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.36 and a beta of 0.63. EZCORP, Inc. has a 1 year low of $12.85 and a 1 year high of $37.13. The company has a current ratio of 4.71, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $30.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $25.28.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The credit services provider reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $434.90 million during the quarter. EZCORP had a return on equity of 13.45% and a net margin of 9.91%. Analysts forecast that EZCORP, Inc. will post 2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EZPW has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Zacks Research upgraded EZCORP from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and issued a $40.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a report on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings upgraded EZCORP from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded EZCORP from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Citizens Jmp lifted their price target on EZCORP from $33.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $37.25.

EZCORP 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.