EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Upgraded to "Strong-Buy" at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Free Report) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on EZPW. Roth Mkm started coverage on shares of EZCORP in a report on Monday, March 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $16.00 price target for the company. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their price target on shares of EZCORP from $25.00 to $24.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Stephens reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and issued a $17.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Roth Capital set a $16.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, BTIG Research began coverage on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. They issued a "neutral" rating on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $18.25.

EZCORP Stock Down 0.2%

NASDAQ:EZPW traded down $0.02 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $13.30. 983,070 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 755,037. EZCORP has a 12-month low of $9.66 and a 12-month high of $16.60. The business has a 50-day moving average of $14.51 and a two-hundred day moving average of $13.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 3.25 and a current ratio of 4.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $731.63 million, a PE ratio of 11.18 and a beta of 0.53.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The credit services provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.02. EZCORP had a net margin of 7.45% and a return on equity of 11.53%. The company had revenue of $306.32 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $310.35 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that EZCORP will post 1.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at EZCORP

In related news, COO John Blair Jr. Powell sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.17, for a total transaction of $283,400.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 169,483 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,401,574.11. This trade represents a 10.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 86,000 shares of company stock worth $1,220,010. 2.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of EZCORP

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Teza Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of EZCORP by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. Teza Capital Management LLC now owns 14,425 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $176,000 after buying an additional 896 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of EZCORP by 60.4% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,062 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $75,000 after buying an additional 1,906 shares in the last quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP lifted its stake in shares of EZCORP by 11.8% in the fourth quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP now owns 19,800 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $242,000 after buying an additional 2,088 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of EZCORP by 16.9% in the first quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 18,874 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $278,000 after buying an additional 2,725 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New York State Teachers Retirement System raised its stake in EZCORP by 4.3% during the first quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 80,099 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,179,000 after purchasing an additional 3,279 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.83% of the company's stock.

About EZCORP

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.