EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to “Strong-Buy” Rating

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note released on Saturday.

EZPW has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their price objective on EZCORP from $25.00 to $24.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Roth Mkm initiated coverage on EZCORP in a research note on Monday, March 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $16.00 target price for the company. BTIG Research initiated coverage on EZCORP in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $17.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Roth Capital set a $16.00 target price on EZCORP in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $18.25.

EZCORP Trading Down 1.8%

NASDAQ EZPW opened at $13.17 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $724.53 million, a P/E ratio of 11.45 and a beta of 0.53. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $14.58 and a 200 day simple moving average of $13.59. EZCORP has a 12 month low of $9.66 and a 12 month high of $16.60. The company has a current ratio of 2.91, a quick ratio of 2.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The credit services provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $306.32 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $310.35 million. EZCORP had a return on equity of 11.04% and a net margin of 7.25%. On average, analysts predict that EZCORP will post 1.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at EZCORP

In related news, COO John Blair Jr. Powell sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.81, for a total transaction of $48,335.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 145,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,016,025.23. This trade represents a 2.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 86,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,220,010. 2.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On EZCORP

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP increased its stake in shares of EZCORP by 1,699.2% during the fourth quarter. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP now owns 1,246,445 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $15,232,000 after buying an additional 1,177,166 shares during the period. Boston Partners increased its stake in shares of EZCORP by 289.7% during the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,569,488 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $23,499,000 after buying an additional 1,166,758 shares during the period. Fourth Sail Capital LP boosted its position in shares of EZCORP by 503.6% during the first quarter. Fourth Sail Capital LP now owns 957,262 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $14,091,000 after purchasing an additional 798,679 shares in the last quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP grew its stake in EZCORP by 317.1% in the fourth quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP now owns 789,768 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $9,651,000 after purchasing an additional 600,435 shares during the period. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC purchased a new stake in EZCORP in the first quarter worth $8,310,000. 99.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About EZCORP

EZCORP, Inc provides pawn services in the United States and Latin America. The company operates through three segments: U.S. Pawn, Latin America Pawn, and Other Investments. The company offers pawn loans collateralized by tangible personal property, jewelry, consumer electronics, tools, sporting goods, and musical instruments.