Brokerages Set EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) Target Price at $37.25

Shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) have earned an average rating of “Buy” from the seven research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $37.25.

EZPW has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Zacks Research raised EZCORP from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen raised EZCORP from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Weiss Ratings raised EZCORP from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group set a $44.00 target price on EZCORP in a research report on Friday, May 8th.

EZCORP Trading Down 0.7%

NASDAQ EZPW opened at $31.51 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.13 and a beta of 0.63. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $31.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $26.31. EZCORP has a 12 month low of $12.89 and a 12 month 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.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The credit services provider reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.22. The business 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%. On average, analysts predict that EZCORP will post 2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at EZCORP

In other news, Director Jason A. Kulas sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.56, for a total transaction of $671,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 172,948 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,804,134.88. This trade represents a 10.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Pablo Lagos Espinosa sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.00, for a total value of $320,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 217,543 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,961,376. This represents a 4.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On EZCORP

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in shares of EZCORP during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. KBC Group NV bought a new position in shares of EZCORP during the 1st quarter worth $44,000. Deutsche Bank AG grew its stake in shares of EZCORP by 533.5% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 2,667 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 2,246 shares during the period. Finally, CWM LLC grew its stake in shares of EZCORP by 21.2% during 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 period. 99.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.