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

Shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the five brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $18.25.

Several brokerages recently issued reports on EZPW. Roth Mkm began coverage on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Monday, March 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $16.00 price target on the stock. Roth Capital set a $16.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their price target on shares of EZCORP from $25.00 to $24.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Stephens reiterated an "equal weight" rating and set a $17.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, BTIG Research began coverage on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 sale, 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders have sold a total of 86,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,220,010 in the last 90 days. 2.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On EZCORP

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EZPW. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in EZCORP by 60.4% in the first 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 period. National Bank of Canada FI purchased a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the first quarter valued at approximately $91,000. Quarry LP grew its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 652.4% during the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 7,637 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $112,000 after buying an additional 6,622 shares during the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $122,000. Finally, Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $138,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.83% of the company's stock.

EZCORP Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of EZPW stock traded up $0.17 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $14.04. The stock had a trading volume of 377,022 shares, compared to its average volume of 774,747. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $13.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $13.72. EZCORP has a 52-week low of $9.66 and a 52-week high of $16.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $772.12 million, a PE ratio of 11.79 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a current ratio of 4.04, a quick ratio of 3.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 28th. The credit services provider reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $306.32 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $310.35 million. EZCORP had a net margin of 7.45% and a return on equity of 11.53%. Equities analysts expect that EZCORP will post 1.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.