Capital Research Global Investors Increases Stake in EZCORP, Inc. $EZPW

Capital Research Global Investors boosted its position in shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) by 47.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,167,748 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,019,622 shares during the quarter. Capital Research Global Investors owned about 5.20% of EZCORP worth $61,518,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on EZPW. Wall Street Zen raised shares of EZCORP from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Citizens Jmp increased their price objective on shares of EZCORP from $33.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Citigroup reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $40.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of EZCORP from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, EZCORP presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $37.25.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other 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 transaction, the director directly owned 172,948 shares in the company, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Pablo Lagos Espinosa sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.00, for a total value of $320,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 217,543 shares in the company, valued at $6,961,376. The trade was 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. 2.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

EZCORP Stock Performance

EZPW opened at $32.07 on Wednesday. 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 company has a market cap of $1.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.43 and a beta of 0.63. The company’s 50 day moving average is $31.13 and its 200 day moving average is $25.53. EZCORP, Inc. has a 12-month low of $12.85 and a 12-month high of $37.13.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The credit services provider reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $434.90 million for the quarter. EZCORP had a net margin of 9.91% and a return on equity of 13.45%. On average, equities research analysts predict that EZCORP, Inc. will post 2 EPS for the current year.

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.