EZCORP, Inc. $EZPW Stock Position Reduced by Sterling Capital Management LLC

Sterling Capital Management LLC decreased its stake in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) by 57.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 37,663 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 51,503 shares during the quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC’s holdings in EZCORP were worth $956,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of EZPW. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of EZCORP in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in shares of EZCORP in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Deutsche Bank AG raised its stake in shares of EZCORP by 533.5% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 2,667 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 2,246 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in EZCORP by 21.2% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,146 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $81,000 after purchasing an additional 724 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming lifted its holdings in EZCORP by 178.1% in the 2nd quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 11,069 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $154,000 after purchasing an additional 7,089 shares during the last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

EZCORP Trading Up 3.8%

Shares of EZCORP stock opened at $34.57 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.13 billion, a PE ratio of 18.79 and a beta of 0.63. 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 company’s fifty day moving average price is $32.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $26.85. EZCORP, Inc. has a 52-week low of $13.07 and a 52-week high of $37.13.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last issued its earnings results 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. EZCORP had a return on equity of 13.45% and a net margin of 9.91%.The business had revenue of $434.90 million during the quarter. On average, analysts expect that EZCORP, Inc. will post 2 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at EZCORP

In related news, Director Pablo Lagos Espinosa sold 10,000 shares of EZCORP stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.00, for a total value of $320,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 217,543 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,961,376. The trade was a 4.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, 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 transaction of $671,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 172,948 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,804,134.88. This represents a 10.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on EZPW shares. Citigroup reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of EZCORP in a report on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of EZCORP from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $44.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of EZCORP from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, Citizens Jmp boosted their target price on shares of EZCORP from $33.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Two investment 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. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $37.25.

EZCORP Company 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.