Analysts Set EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) Target Price at $18.50

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 earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the five analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $18.50.

A number of brokerages recently commented on EZPW. Wall Street Zen upgraded EZCORP from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 14th. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $25.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a report on Friday, August 1st.

EZCORP Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:EZPW traded down $0.17 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $17.72. The stock had a trading volume of 2,779,475 shares, compared to its average volume of 636,725. The stock has a market cap of $1.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.84 and a beta of 0.63. 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 fifty day moving average price of $15.59 and a 200-day moving average price of $14.75. EZCORP has a fifty-two week low of $10.56 and a fifty-two week high of $18.04.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last posted 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 the consensus estimate of $302.25 million. As a group, analysts anticipate that EZCORP will post 1.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at EZCORP

In other EZCORP news, Director Matthew W. Appel sold 9,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.03, for a total transaction of $153,270.00. Following the sale, the director owned 142,409 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,425,225.27. The trade was a 5.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.13% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On EZCORP

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in shares of EZCORP by 43.9% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 292,927 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $3,580,000 after purchasing an additional 89,357 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 76.0% in the 4th quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 142,710 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,742,000 after buying an additional 61,613 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in EZCORP by 23.9% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,195,784 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $14,612,000 after buying an additional 231,018 shares during the period. Point72 Asset Management L.P. raised its stake in EZCORP by 51.4% in the fourth quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 65,470 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $800,000 after buying an additional 22,215 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of EZCORP in the fourth quarter worth about $138,000. 99.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

EZCORP Company Profile

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.