EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) Stock Has Average Target Price of $39.00

Key Points

• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus on EZCORP, with six buys and two holds among eight ratings and an average 12-month price target of $39.00.
• EZCORP reported quarterly EPS of $0.47, exceeding the $0.41 consensus estimate, although revenue of $408.4 million fell short of the $425.83 million forecast.
• Institutional investors own 99.83% of the stock, while insider ownership stands at 2.13%; shares recently opened at $33.05, below the 12-month high of $37.13.

EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the eight ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $39.00.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their target price on EZCORP from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Weiss Ratings cut EZCORP from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on EZCORP from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Zacks Research downgraded EZCORP from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered EZCORP from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th.

Insider Buying and Selling at EZCORP

In other EZCORP news, insider Ellen Bryant sold 30,000 shares of EZCORP stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,095,419.22. The trade was a 20.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 2.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of EZCORP

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its position in shares of EZCORP by 38.6% during the first quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 70,725 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,795,000 after buying an additional 19,708 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC grew its position in shares of EZCORP by 43.8% in the 2nd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 59,035 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $2,041,000 after buying an additional 17,986 shares during the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in shares of EZCORP in the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,207,000. North Star Investment Management Corp. purchased a new position in shares of EZCORP in the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,777,000. Finally, Navellier & Associates Inc. raised its stake in shares of EZCORP by 203.0% during the 2nd quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 65,347 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $2,259,000 after acquiring an additional 43,780 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.83% of the company's stock.

EZCORP Stock Performance

NASDAQ EZPW opened at $33.05 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $31.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $31.58. EZCORP has a 12-month low of $16.50 and a 12-month high of $37.13. The firm has a market cap of $2.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.69 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a quick ratio of 3.45, a current ratio of 4.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The credit services provider reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $408.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $425.83 million. EZCORP had a net margin of 9.97% and a return on equity of 13.99%. On average, equities analysts forecast that EZCORP will post 2.00 EPS for the current year.

EZCORP Company Profile

EZCORP, Inc is a financial services and retail company that provides pawn loans and sells pre-owned merchandise. Through its pawn stores, the company offers short-term, collateral-based loans secured by personal property such as jewelry, electronics, tools and other consumer goods.

In addition to lending, EZCORP purchases and resells previously owned merchandise, giving customers access to used jewelry, electronics, tools, sporting goods and other products. Its retail operations also support the company's pawn-lending model by providing a sales channel for collateral that is not redeemed.

EZCORP serves customers through stores operating under brands that include EZPAWN and Value Pawn in the United States, as well as related brands in Latin American markets.

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