EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Sets New 12-Month High - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• 52-week high: EZCORP hit a new 52-week high of $29.63 (last trade $29.61) on Tuesday, rising about 3.2% with roughly 720,274 shares traded from the prior close of $28.69.
• EZCORP beat quarterly expectations with EPS of $0.55 vs. $0.40 expected and revenue of $374.5M vs. $363.6M, while showing a net margin of 9.18%, ROE of 12.37%, a P/E of 18.98 and a market cap near $1.83B.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but positive overall—MarketBeat shows a consensus "Moderate Buy" and $29.50 target—while insiders have sold shares recently (84,138 shares) and institutional ownership is extremely high at ~99.83%.

Shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $29.63 and last traded at $29.61, with a volume of 720274 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $28.69.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EZPW has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Citigroup reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Zacks Research lowered shares of EZCORP from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of EZCORP from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Stephens upped their price target on shares of EZCORP from $22.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Roth Mkm reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $26.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, EZCORP currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $29.50.

EZCORP Stock Up 3.2%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 6.03 and a quick ratio of 4.69. The firm's 50-day moving average is $25.79 and its 200 day moving average is $21.69. The stock has a market cap of $1.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.98 and a beta of 0.52.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.15. EZCORP had a net margin of 9.18% and a return on equity of 12.37%. The company had revenue of $374.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $363.63 million. Sell-side analysts anticipate that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at EZCORP

In other news, Director Gary Tillett sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.50, for a total value of $255,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 133,483 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,403,816.50. This represents a 6.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Ellen H. Bryant sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.00, for a total transaction of $500,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 147,786 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,694,650. The trade was a 11.92% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 84,138 shares of company stock worth $2,102,416 over the last three months. 2.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On EZCORP

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of EZCORP by 11.4% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,610,029 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $68,735,000 after acquiring an additional 369,817 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of EZCORP by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,563,724 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $69,209,000 after acquiring an additional 84,566 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors increased its position in shares of EZCORP by 47.5% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 3,167,748 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $61,518,000 after acquiring an additional 1,019,622 shares in the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP increased its position in shares of EZCORP by 5.4% in the second quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 2,321,138 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $32,217,000 after acquiring an additional 118,641 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC increased its position in shares of EZCORP by 28.5% in the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,975,421 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $37,612,000 after acquiring an additional 437,601 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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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