EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• EZCORP, Inc. has received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from five brokerages, with a target price of $18.50 over the next twelve months.
• In recent insider activity, COO John Blair Jr. Powell sold 3,500 shares of EZCORP at an average price of $13.81, resulting in a decrease of 2.34% in his ownership stake.
• The company reported a quarterly earnings per share of $0.33, surpassing analyst estimates of $0.23, and generated revenue of $310.98 million versus expectations of $302.25 million.

Shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the five brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $18.50.

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on EZPW. Wall Street Zen raised shares of EZCORP from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, June 14th. BTIG Research started coverage on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. They set a "neutral" rating for the company. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $25.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Stephens restated an "equal weight" rating and set a $17.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th.

Insider Buying and Selling at EZCORP

In other EZCORP news, COO John Blair Jr. Powell sold 3,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.81, for a total value of $48,335.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 145,983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,016,025.23. This represents a 2.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 2.13% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in shares of EZCORP by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 73,064 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,014,000 after purchasing an additional 648 shares during the last quarter. Teza Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of EZCORP by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Teza Capital Management LLC now owns 14,425 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $176,000 after purchasing an additional 896 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS raised its position in shares of EZCORP by 7.4% during the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 13,362 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $185,000 after purchasing an additional 926 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of EZCORP by 60.4% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,062 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 1,906 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its position in shares of EZCORP by 7.7% during the 2nd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 31,003 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $429,000 after purchasing an additional 2,208 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.83% of the company's stock.

EZCORP Price Performance

NASDAQ EZPW opened at $15.85 on Friday. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $14.21 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $14.27. The company has a current ratio of 6.31, a quick ratio of 5.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. EZCORP has a 12-month low of $10.56 and a 12-month high of $16.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $965.27 million, a P/E ratio of 12.38 and a beta of 0.56.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.23 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $310.98 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $302.25 million. EZCORP had a net margin of 7.96% and a return on equity of 11.85%. Analysts forecast that EZCORP will post 1.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About EZCORP

EZCORP, Inc provides pawn services in the United States and Latin America. The company operates through three segments: U.S. Pawn, Latin America Pawn, and Other Investments. The company offers pawn loans collateralized by tangible personal property, jewelry, consumer electronics, tools, sporting goods, and musical instruments.

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