Bridgeway Capital Management LLC Reduces Position in EZCORP, Inc. $EZPW

Key Points

• Bridgeway Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in EZCORP, Inc. by 8.9% during the first quarter, owning 690,188 shares worth $10.16 million after selling 67,435 shares.
• EZCORP reported $0.33 EPS for the recent quarter, exceeding the consensus estimate of $0.23, with revenue reaching $310.98 million compared to a projection of $302.25 million.
• Analysts have issued varied ratings on EZCORP, with one upgrade to "strong-buy" and an average price target of $18.50, indicating moderate confidence in the stock's performance.

Bridgeway Capital Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Free Report) by 8.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 690,188 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 67,435 shares during the quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC owned 1.25% of EZCORP worth $10,160,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of EZCORP by 60.4% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,062 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 1,906 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI bought a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the first quarter worth $91,000. Quarry LP lifted its position in shares of EZCORP by 652.4% during the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 7,637 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $112,000 after purchasing an additional 6,622 shares during the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the first quarter worth $149,000. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the first quarter worth $161,000. 99.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

EZPW has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. BTIG Research initiated coverage on EZCORP in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. Stephens reissued an "equal weight" rating and set a $17.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $25.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded EZCORP from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, June 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $18.50.

EZCORP Trading Up 2.1%

EZPW traded up $0.35 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $17.08. 957,440 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 967,535. The firm's fifty day moving average is $14.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $14.51. EZCORP, Inc. has a 1-year low of $10.56 and a 1-year high of $17.23. The company has a current ratio of 6.31, a quick ratio of 5.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The company has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a PE ratio of 13.34 and a beta of 0.63.

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

Insider Transactions at EZCORP

In related news, COO John Blair Jr. Powell sold 3,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.81, for a total transaction of $48,335.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 145,983 shares in the company, valued at $2,016,025.23. This trade represents a 2.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 2.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.