EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Share Price Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW)’s share price crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $30.46 and traded as high as $33.44. EZCORP shares last traded at $33.07, with a volume of 486,393 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research lowered shares of EZCORP from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of EZCORP from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of EZCORP from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of EZCORP from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $38.80.

EZCORP Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $2.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.40 and a beta of 0.64. The business’s 50 day moving average is $31.56 and its 200-day moving average is $30.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 3.45 and a current ratio of 4.81.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The credit services provider reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $408.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $425.83 million. EZCORP had a return on equity of 13.99% and a net margin of 9.97%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that EZCORP, Inc. will post 2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at EZCORP

In other news, Director Pablo Espinosa sold 10,000 shares of EZCORP stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.54, for a total transaction 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Ellen H. Bryant sold 30,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.77, for a total value of $1,043,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 117,786 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,095,419.22. This trade represents a 20.30% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 2.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On EZCORP

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of EZCORP in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. KBC Group NV purchased a new stake in EZCORP in the first quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its position in shares of EZCORP by 533.5% during the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 2,667 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 2,246 shares during the period. Raiffeisen Bank International AG purchased a new position in shares of EZCORP during the second quarter worth $90,000. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of EZCORP in the second quarter valued at $98,000. 99.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.