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

Key Points

• EZCORP, Inc. has received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from analysts, with an average twelve-month price target of $18.50.
• The company's recent earnings report showed an EPS of $0.34, which surpassed analysts' expectations of $0.32, although revenue of $306.32 million fell below the forecast of $310.35 million.
• Insider trading activity includes COO John Blair Jr. Powell selling 3,500 shares at an average price of $13.81, and overall, insiders sold 86,000 shares valued at $1,220,010 over the last quarter.

Shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the five research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, two have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $18.50.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. BTIG Research initiated coverage on EZCORP in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded EZCORP from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, June 14th. Stephens reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $17.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price objective on shares of EZCORP from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th.

EZCORP Price Performance

EZPW stock traded up $1.11 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $14.43. The company's stock had a trading volume of 807,245 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,010,781. EZCORP has a 12 month low of $10.26 and a 12 month high of $16.60. The company has a 50 day moving average of $13.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $13.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $793.57 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.13 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a quick ratio of 3.25, a current ratio of 4.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.23 by $0.10. EZCORP had a return on equity of 11.53% and a net margin of 7.45%. The firm had revenue of $310.98 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $302.25 million. On average, analysts expect that EZCORP will post 1.3 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at EZCORP

In related news, COO John Blair Jr. Powell sold 3,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.81, for a total transaction of $48,335.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 145,983 shares in the company, valued at $2,016,025.23. This represents a 2.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 86,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,220,010. 2.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of EZCORP

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ritholtz Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of EZCORP in the first quarter valued at approximately $382,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of EZCORP during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,860,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 92,641 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,132,000 after acquiring an additional 5,524 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of EZCORP in the 1st quarter worth about $902,000. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 680.7% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 148,480 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $2,186,000 after acquiring an additional 129,460 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.83% of the company's stock.

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.