EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Hits New 52-Week High - Here's Why

Key Points

• EZCORP, Inc. recently reached a new 52-week high of $19.25, with a last traded price of $19.15, reflecting strong market interest with over 191,000 shares traded.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of Moderate Buy on EZCORP stock, with price targets rising from $25.00 to $27.00 following positive earnings results, which exceeded expectations.
• Institutional investors hold a significant majority, owning 99.83% of EZCORP's stock, indicating strong confidence in the company’s performance and growth potential.

EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high on Thursday . The company traded as high as $19.25 and last traded at $19.15, with a volume of 191192 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $18.95.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price objective on EZCORP from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded EZCORP from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $19.00.

EZCORP Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $1.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.71 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a quick ratio of 5.00, a current ratio of 6.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $16.90 and a 200-day moving average price of $15.22.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.23 by $0.10. EZCORP had a return on equity of 11.85% and a net margin of 7.96%.The business had revenue of $310.98 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $302.25 million. On average, analysts expect that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Matthew W. Appel sold 9,038 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, September 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.02, for a total transaction of $162,864.76. Following the transaction, the director owned 133,371 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,403,345.42. This represents a 6.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 2.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new stake in EZCORP in the second quarter valued at $31,000. 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 valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 1,906 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI acquired a new stake in EZCORP in the first quarter valued at $91,000. Quarry LP grew its holdings in EZCORP by 652.4% in the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 7,637 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $112,000 after purchasing an additional 6,622 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management acquired a new stake in EZCORP in the second quarter valued at $139,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.

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