EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Announces Earnings Results

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The credit services provider reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.06, FiscalAI reports. The firm had revenue of $408.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $425.83 million. EZCORP had a net margin of 9.91% and a return on equity of 13.45%.

EZCORP Stock Performance

Shares of EZPW opened at $29.78 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $31.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $28.99. EZCORP has a 12 month low of $14.81 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. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.18 and a beta of 0.66.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Jason A. Kulas sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.56, for a total transaction of $671,200.00. Following the sale, the director owned 172,948 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,804,134.88. This represents a 10.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Pablo Lagos Espinosa sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.54, for a total value of $355,400.00. Following the sale, the director owned 207,543 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,376,078.22. The trade was a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 40,000 shares of company stock worth $1,346,600 over the last three months. 2.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of EZCORP by 19.4% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 16,619 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $323,000 after purchasing an additional 2,697 shares during the last quarter. Inceptionr LLC acquired a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the 4th quarter valued at $254,000. Nomura Holdings Inc. bought a new stake in EZCORP during the 3rd quarter worth $276,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its position in EZCORP by 37.8% during the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 20,519 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $391,000 after acquiring an additional 5,632 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Man Group plc acquired a new position in EZCORP in the 2nd quarter worth about $347,000. 99.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on EZPW. Citigroup reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on EZCORP from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Wall Street Zen raised EZCORP from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 25th. Roth Capital reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $40.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group set a $44.00 price target on EZCORP in a report on Friday, May 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $38.80.

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.