EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Buy

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded EZCORP from “strong buy” to “buy,” though the broader analyst consensus remains “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $38.80.
• EZCORP shares fell 4.4% and opened at $27.90, below the 50-day moving average of $31.85. The company’s latest quarterly earnings beat estimates at $0.47 per share versus $0.41 expected, but revenue of $408.4 million fell short of forecasts.
• Insiders sold 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 (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Several other brokerages have also commented on EZPW. 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 target price on shares of EZCORP in a report on Friday, May 8th. Citigroup reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Citizens Jmp lifted their price target on shares of EZCORP from $33.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Roth Capital reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $40.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Friday, May 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $38.80.

EZCORP Trading Down 4.4%

NASDAQ:EZPW opened at $27.90 on Friday. EZCORP has a 1 year low of $15.22 and a 1 year high of $37.13. The stock has a market cap of $1.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.09 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a current ratio of 4.81. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $31.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $29.03.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The credit services provider reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $408.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $425.83 million. EZCORP had a return on equity of 13.99% and a net margin of 9.97%. As a group, analysts anticipate that EZCORP will post 2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at EZCORP

In other EZCORP news, Director Jason A. Kulas sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.56, for a total value of $671,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 172,948 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,804,134.88. The trade was a 10.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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 value of $355,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 207,543 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,376,078.22. The trade was 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 have sold 40,000 shares of company stock worth $1,346,600. 2.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of EZCORP in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of EZCORP during the second quarter worth about $31,000. KBC Group NV purchased a new position in shares of EZCORP during the first quarter worth about $44,000. Deutsche Bank AG increased its position 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 increased its position 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 hedge funds and other 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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