EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) Stock Has Consensus Price Target of $38.80 According to Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts maintain a Moderate Buy consensus on EZCORP, with six buy ratings and two hold ratings. The average 12-month price target is $38.80, above the stock’s reported $31.16 price.
• EZCORP reported quarterly EPS of $0.47, exceeding the $0.41 analyst consensus, although revenue of $408.4 million came in below the $425.83 million estimate.
• Institutional investors and hedge funds own approximately 99.83% of EZCORP shares, while two insiders recently sold stock under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plans.

EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the eight brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $38.80.

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings cut EZCORP from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of EZCORP from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of EZCORP from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of EZCORP from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th.

EZCORP Trading Up 2.9%

EZCORP stock opened at $31.16 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $31.00 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $30.86. The company has a quick ratio of 3.45, a current ratio of 4.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The stock has a market cap of $1.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.74 and a beta of 0.64. EZCORP has a 12 month low of $16.50 and a 12 month high of $37.13.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The credit services provider reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.41 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $408.40 million during 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%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that EZCORP will post 2 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at EZCORP

In other EZCORP news, Director Pablo Espinosa sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.54, for a total transaction of $355,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 207,543 shares in the company, valued at $7,376,078.22. This trade represents a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at 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 EZCORP stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider directly owned 117,786 shares in the company, valued at $4,095,419.22. The trade was a 20.30% 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 own 2.13% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On EZCORP

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its stake in EZCORP by 47.5% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 3,167,748 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $61,518,000 after buying an additional 1,019,622 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in EZCORP by 89.2% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 785,131 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $15,247,000 after acquiring an additional 370,103 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in EZCORP by 50.6% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 457,861 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $11,621,000 after acquiring an additional 153,770 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 3.4% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 282,923 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $7,181,000 after acquiring an additional 9,363 shares during the period. Finally, Ancora Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of EZCORP in the 2nd quarter valued at $6,452,000. 99.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

EZCORP Company Profile

EZCORP, Inc NASDAQ: EZPW is a specialty consumer financial services and retail company focused primarily on pawn operations. Through its pawn stores, the company provides short-term, collateralized loans to consumers who pledge personal property such as jewelry, electronics, tools, and musical instruments.

When customers do not redeem their pledged items, EZCORP sells the merchandise through its retail locations and digital channels. Its stores also purchase pre-owned goods for resale, offering consumers access to a range of previously owned jewelry, electronics, tools, and other products.

Founded in 1989 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, EZCORP serves customers through operations in the United States and Latin America, including Mexico.

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