EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts maintain a moderately bullish outlook: Eight brokerages give EZCORP an average “Moderate Buy” rating, with five buys, one strong buy and two holds. The average 12-month price target is $38.80, above the stock’s reported $29.18 opening price.
• Quarterly earnings beat expectations: EZCORP reported adjusted earnings of $0.47 per share, exceeding the $0.41 consensus estimate, although revenue of $408.4 million fell short of the $425.83 million forecast.
• Insiders have been selling shares: Company directors sold a combined 40,000 shares worth approximately $1.35 million over the past 90 days, while institutional investors own 99.83% of EZCORP’s outstanding stock.

EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the eight brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $38.80.

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Zacks Research cut EZCORP from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Citizens Jmp raised their target price on EZCORP from $33.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (a-)" rating on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $44.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Roth Capital restated a "buy" rating and set a $40.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Friday, May 8th.

EZCORP Price Performance

EZCORP stock opened at $29.18 on Friday. EZCORP has a 52 week low of $15.12 and a 52 week high of $37.13. The company's 50 day moving average price is $31.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $29.04. The stock has a market cap of $1.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.74 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a quick ratio of 3.52, a current ratio of 4.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The credit services provider reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $408.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $425.83 million. EZCORP had a return on equity of 14.28% and a net margin of 9.97%. On average, equities analysts predict that EZCORP will post 2 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other EZCORP news, Director Jason A. Kulas sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.56, for a total value of $671,200.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 172,948 shares in the company, valued at $5,804,134.88. The trade was a 10.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Pablo Lagos Espinosa sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.54, for a total transaction of $355,400.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 207,543 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,376,078.22. This represents a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 40,000 shares of company stock worth $1,346,600. Insiders own 2.13% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On EZCORP

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of EZCORP in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in EZCORP in the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. KBC Group NV bought a new stake in EZCORP in the 1st quarter valued at about $44,000. Deutsche Bank AG raised its stake in EZCORP by 533.5% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 2,667 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 2,246 shares during the period. Finally, CWM LLC raised its stake in EZCORP by 21.2% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,146 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $81,000 after acquiring an additional 724 shares during the period. 99.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

EZCORP Company Profile

EZCORP, Inc is a specialty consumer finance company that provides pawn loans and retail merchandise programs primarily through its EZPAWN and Cash Converters brands. The company offers collateral-based loans secured principally by jewelry, electronics, musical instruments and other personal items, alongside check-cashing, money-transfer and bill-payment services. In addition to its pawn lending operations, EZCORP acquires previously pawned or consumer merchandise for resale through its “Sell-It-Now” platform and retail storefronts.

Founded in 1989 and headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, EZCORP operates in two principal geographic markets: the United States and Mexico.

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