UBS Group AG Raises Stock Holdings in EZCORP, Inc. $EZPW

UBS Group AG boosted its holdings in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) by 45.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 579,433 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 181,031 shares during the quarter. UBS Group AG owned 0.95% of EZCORP worth $11,253,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in EZCORP in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in EZCORP in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Covestor Ltd raised its position in EZCORP by 239.3% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,728 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 1,924 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its position in EZCORP by 126.3% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,422 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $65,000 after buying an additional 1,910 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in EZCORP by 913.5% in the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 4,216 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 3,800 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.83% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Pablo Lagos Espinosa sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.00, for a total value of $500,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 208,177 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,204,425. This represents a 8.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CRO Nicole Swies sold 24,138 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.75, for a total transaction of $597,415.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive directly owned 115,266 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,852,833.50. This represents a 17.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 104,138 shares of company stock worth $2,773,616 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

EZCORP Trading Up 0.7%

EZCORP stock opened at $33.00 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $28.86 and a 200 day moving average of $23.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.93 and a beta of 0.65. EZCORP, Inc. has a 12-month low of $12.85 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 earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The credit services provider reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $434.90 million during the quarter. EZCORP had a net margin of 9.91% and a return on equity of 13.45%. As a group, research analysts predict that EZCORP, Inc. will post 2 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on EZPW shares. Weiss Ratings raised EZCORP from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Wall Street Zen raised EZCORP from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $44.00 target price on EZCORP in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Zacks Research raised EZCORP from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Citizens Jmp upped their price target 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $37.25.

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.