117,503 Shares in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) Acquired by Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC

Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 117,503 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,730,000. EZCORP makes up approximately 0.5% of Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of EZCORP by 60.4% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,062 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 1,906 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in EZCORP during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $122,000. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in EZCORP during the 4th quarter worth approximately $138,000. LPL Financial LLC increased its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 39.3% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 14,430 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $176,000 after purchasing an additional 4,070 shares during the period. Finally, Teza Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of EZCORP by 6.6% during the fourth quarter. Teza Capital Management LLC now owns 14,425 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $176,000 after purchasing an additional 896 shares during the last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO John Blair Jr. Powell sold 42,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.55, for a total value of $618,375.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 189,483 shares in the company, valued at $2,756,977.65. This trade represents a 18.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 86,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,220,010 in the last 90 days. 2.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on EZPW shares. BTIG Research initiated coverage on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $17.00 price objective on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their target price on EZCORP from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded EZCORP from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, EZCORP currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $18.50.

EZCORP Trading Down 0.3%

EZCORP stock traded down $0.04 during trading on Friday, hitting $14.19. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 26,940 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,033,154. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 3.25 and a current ratio of 4.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $780.54 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.92 and a beta of 0.52. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $13.64 and its 200 day moving average is $13.83. EZCORP, Inc. has a 1-year low of $9.91 and a 1-year high of $16.60.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The credit services provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $306.32 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $310.35 million. EZCORP had a net margin of 7.45% and a return on equity of 11.53%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 EPS for the current year.

EZCORP Company Profile

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.