EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Given New $39.00 Price Target at Citizens Jmp

Key Points

• Citizens Jmp raised its price target on EZCORP from $33 to $39 and kept a market outperform rating, implying about 14.46% upside from the prior close. Other analysts remain mostly bullish, with the consensus rating at Moderate Buy and an average target of $37.25.
• EZCORP reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, posting earnings of $0.58 per share versus the $0.36 estimate. Revenue for the quarter came in at $434.9 million.
• The stock has been trading near its recent highs, last closing at $34.07 after a modest gain, with a 12-month range of $12.85 to $37.13. Insider selling has occurred recently, while institutional investors own 99.83% of the company.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) had its target price upped by investment analysts at Citizens Jmp from $33.00 to $39.00 in a research report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "market outperform" rating on the credit services provider's stock. Citizens Jmp's price objective suggests a potential upside of 14.46% from the stock's previous close.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Citigroup reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Monday. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $44.00 price objective on EZCORP in a research note on Friday. Roth Mkm reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $40.00 price objective on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Friday. Zacks Research cut EZCORP from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded EZCORP from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $37.25.

EZCORP Price Performance

Shares of EZPW stock traded up $0.53 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $34.07. The company had a trading volume of 78,521 shares, compared to its average volume of 868,892. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a current ratio of 4.71. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $28.03 and a 200-day moving average of $23.13. The company has a market capitalization of $2.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.51 and a beta of 0.65. EZCORP has a 12-month low of $12.85 and a 12-month high of $37.13.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The credit services provider reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $434.90 million during the quarter. EZCORP had a return on equity of 13.45% and a net margin of 9.91%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that EZCORP will post 1.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other EZCORP news, Director Pablo Lagos Espinosa sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.00, for a total transaction of $500,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 208,177 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,204,425. The trade was a 8.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Gary Tillett sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.50, for a total value of $255,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 133,483 shares in the company, valued at $3,403,816.50. The trade was a 6.97% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 84,138 shares of company stock worth $2,102,416. Corporate insiders own 2.13% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On EZCORP

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of EZPW. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in shares of EZCORP by 23.6% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 19,375 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $286,000 after acquiring an additional 3,705 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of EZCORP during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,646,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of EZCORP by 47.9% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 183,291 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $2,544,000 after purchasing an additional 59,339 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in shares of EZCORP by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 73,064 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,014,000 after purchasing an additional 648 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership acquired a new position in shares of EZCORP during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,718,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.83% of the company's stock.

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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