Alps Advisors Inc. Takes Position in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW)

Alps Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 26,020 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $383,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in EZCORP by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 304,235 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $3,718,000 after acquiring an additional 5,034 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in EZCORP by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 343,445 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $4,197,000 after acquiring an additional 9,906 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in EZCORP in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,860,000. Royce & Associates LP grew its stake in EZCORP by 77.6% in the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 658,515 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $8,047,000 after purchasing an additional 287,818 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its stake in EZCORP by 25.0% in the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 273,211 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $3,339,000 after purchasing an additional 54,595 shares during the last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

EZCORP Price Performance

EZCORP stock traded down $0.06 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $14.17. The company had a trading volume of 34,100 shares, compared to its average volume of 782,174. The company has a market capitalization of $779.49 million, a P/E ratio of 11.91 and a beta of 0.52. EZCORP, Inc. has a 12-month low of $9.91 and a 12-month high of $16.60. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $13.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $13.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 4.04 and a quick ratio of 3.25.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EZPW has been the topic of several analyst reports. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their target price on EZCORP from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Stephens reiterated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $17.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Wall Street Zen upgraded EZCORP from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 14th. Finally, BTIG Research began coverage on EZCORP in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. They issued a "neutral" rating on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $18.50.

Insider Transactions at EZCORP

In related news, COO John Blair Jr. Powell sold 3,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 145,983 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,016,025.23. This represents a 2.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 86,000 shares of company stock worth $1,220,010. 2.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.