EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Share Price Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average – Here’s What Happened

EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) shares crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $28.19 and traded as high as $32.88. EZCORP shares last traded at $31.96, with a volume of 479,736 shares trading hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Citizens Jmp lifted their target price on EZCORP from $33.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of EZCORP in a report on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (a-)” rating on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded EZCORP from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, June 27th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on EZCORP from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, EZCORP presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $38.80.

EZCORP Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $1.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.37 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 4.71 and a quick ratio of 3.52. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $32.69 and its 200-day moving average is $28.19.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The credit services provider reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.22. EZCORP had a net margin of 9.91% and a return on equity of 13.45%. The business had revenue of $434.90 million for the quarter. Analysts predict that EZCORP, Inc. will post 2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other EZCORP news, Director Pablo Lagos Espinosa sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.54, for a total value of $355,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 207,543 shares in the company, valued at $7,376,078.22. This represents a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Jason A. Kulas sold 20,000 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the director directly owned 172,948 shares in the company, valued at $5,804,134.88. This trade represents a 10.37% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 40,000 shares of company stock worth $1,346,600. 2.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On EZCORP

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EZPW. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC bought a new stake in EZCORP during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of EZCORP in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. KBC Group NV bought a new position in shares of EZCORP in the first quarter worth approximately $44,000. Deutsche Bank AG increased its stake in shares of EZCORP by 533.5% in 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, CWM LLC increased its stake in shares of EZCORP by 21.2% in the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,146 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $81,000 after purchasing an additional 724 shares in the last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.