Almanack Investment Partners LLC. Invests $476,000 in EZCORP, Inc. $EZPW

Key Points

• Almanack Investment Partners LLC invested $476,000 in EZCORP, Inc., acquiring 34,275 shares during the second quarter, representing approximately 0.06% of the company.
• Several other hedge funds have significantly increased their holdings in EZCORP, with Boston Partners boosting its stake by 289.7%, now owning over $23 million in shares.
• Brokerages have raised their target price for EZCORP, with Canaccord Genuity increasing it from $25.00 to $27.00 and maintaining a "buy" rating.

Almanack Investment Partners LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 34,275 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $476,000. Almanack Investment Partners LLC. owned approximately 0.06% of EZCORP at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Boston Partners grew its stake in EZCORP by 289.7% during the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,569,488 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $23,499,000 after acquiring an additional 1,166,758 shares in the last quarter. Fourth Sail Capital LP boosted its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 503.6% during the first quarter. Fourth Sail Capital LP now owns 957,262 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $14,091,000 after purchasing an additional 798,679 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the first quarter worth approximately $8,310,000. Hennessy Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in EZCORP during the second quarter valued at approximately $7,104,000. Finally, Invenomic Capital Management LP increased its stake in EZCORP by 55.7% in the 1st quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP now owns 1,229,705 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $18,101,000 after buying an additional 439,937 shares during the period. 99.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on EZPW. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their target price on shares of EZCORP from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, October 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $19.00.

EZCORP Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of NASDAQ:EZPW opened at $18.49 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 5.00 and a current ratio of 6.31. The stock's 50-day moving average is $16.99 and its 200-day moving average is $15.25. The company has a market cap of $1.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.45 and a beta of 0.62. EZCORP, Inc. has a 52-week low of $11.09 and a 52-week high of $19.25.

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

Insider Transactions at EZCORP

In related news, Director Matthew W. Appel sold 9,038 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, September 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.02, for a total transaction of $162,864.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 133,371 shares in the company, valued at $2,403,345.42. This represents a 6.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 2.13% of the company's stock.

EZCORP 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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