Informed Momentum Co LLC Invests $2.61 Million in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW)

Key Points

• Informed Momentum Co LLC acquired 177,104 shares of EZCORP, Inc., valued at approximately $2.6 million, establishing a new position in the company.
• Several institutional investors, including LPL Financial LLC and JPMorgan Chase & Co., have significantly increased their stakes in EZCORP during the 4th quarter of the previous year.
• Analysts have set varying price targets for EZCORP, with Canaccord Genuity maintaining a "buy" rating with a target price of $25, while the stock has an average target price of $18.50.

Informed Momentum Co LLC acquired a new position in shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 177,104 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,607,000. Informed Momentum Co LLC owned about 0.32% of EZCORP at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in EZCORP by 9.3% in the first quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 39,760 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $585,000 after acquiring an additional 3,393 shares during the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its position in EZCORP by 70.6% in the first quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 218,847 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $3,221,000 after acquiring an additional 90,533 shares during the last quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP lifted its position in EZCORP by 18.5% in the first quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP now owns 23,469 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $345,000 after acquiring an additional 3,669 shares during the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in EZCORP in the first quarter valued at $161,000. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of EZCORP in the first quarter valued at about $149,000. 99.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

EZPW has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of EZCORP from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, June 14th. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $25.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a report on Friday, August 1st. Stephens reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and issued a $17.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, BTIG Research began coverage on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, EZCORP presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $18.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO John Blair Jr. Powell sold 3,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.81, for a total transaction of $48,335.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 145,983 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,016,025.23. This trade represents a 2.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 2.13% of the company's stock.

EZCORP Trading Up 1.1%

NASDAQ:EZPW traded up $0.17 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $16.07. 1,023,404 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 759,033. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 6.31 and a quick ratio of 5.00. The firm has a market cap of $978.60 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.55 and a beta of 0.56. EZCORP, Inc. has a 52-week low of $10.56 and a 52-week high of $16.60. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $14.05 and a 200 day simple moving average of $14.17.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.23 by $0.10. EZCORP had a net margin of 7.96% and a return on equity of 11.85%. The company had revenue of $310.98 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $302.25 million. As a group, analysts predict that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 EPS for the current year.

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.