EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• EZCORP, Inc. has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from five brokerages, with an average 12-month price target of $18.50.
• Director Matthew W. Appel recently sold 9,000 shares of EZCORP, decreasing his ownership by 5.94%, while corporate insiders hold 2.13% of the stock.
• Institutional investors have shown significant interest, with Boston Partners increasing its stake by 289.7% in Q1, now owning 1,569,488 shares valued at approximately $23.5 million.

EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the five brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two 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 12 month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $18.50.

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $25.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded EZCORP from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 14th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an "equal weight" rating and set a $17.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Matthew W. Appel sold 9,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.03, for a total transaction of $153,270.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 142,409 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,425,225.27. This trade represents a 5.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.13% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On EZCORP

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EZPW. Boston Partners boosted its stake in EZCORP by 289.7% during the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,569,488 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $23,499,000 after buying an additional 1,166,758 shares during the last quarter. Fourth Sail Capital LP boosted its stake in EZCORP by 503.6% during the first quarter. Fourth Sail Capital LP now owns 957,262 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $14,091,000 after buying an additional 798,679 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC bought a new position in EZCORP during the first quarter valued at approximately $8,310,000. Hennessy Advisors Inc. bought a new position in EZCORP during the second quarter valued at approximately $7,104,000. Finally, Invenomic Capital Management LP boosted its stake in EZCORP by 55.7% during the first quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP now owns 1,229,705 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $18,101,000 after buying an additional 439,937 shares during the last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

EZCORP Stock Performance

Shares of EZPW opened at $17.27 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 5.00, a current ratio of 6.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $15.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $14.66. The stock has a market cap of $1.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.49 and a beta of 0.63. EZCORP has a 52 week low of $10.56 and a 52 week high of $17.53.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.23 by $0.10. EZCORP had a return on equity of 11.85% and a net margin of 7.96%.The business had revenue of $310.98 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $302.25 million. On average, analysts expect that EZCORP will post 1.3 EPS for the current 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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