Cerity Partners LLC Takes Position in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW)

Cerity Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 564,555 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $8,310,000. Cerity Partners LLC owned about 1.03% of EZCORP at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP lifted its position in shares of EZCORP by 1,699.2% in the 4th quarter. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP now owns 1,246,445 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $15,232,000 after purchasing an additional 1,177,166 shares during the period. Invenomic Capital Management LP lifted its position in shares of EZCORP by 317.1% in the 4th quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP now owns 789,768 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $9,651,000 after purchasing an additional 600,435 shares during the period. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC lifted its position in shares of EZCORP by 18.4% in the 4th quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC now owns 2,002,197 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $24,467,000 after purchasing an additional 310,706 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP lifted its position in shares of EZCORP by 77.6% in the 4th quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 658,515 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $8,047,000 after purchasing an additional 287,818 shares during the period. Finally, Bastion Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of EZCORP in the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,054,000. 99.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Activity 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 value of $48,335.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 145,983 shares in the company, valued at $2,016,025.23. The trade was a 2.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 86,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,220,010. Company insiders own 2.13% of the company's stock.

EZCORP Price Performance

Shares of EZPW stock traded up $0.01 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $14.23. 295,075 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 782,052. The company has a market capitalization of $782.52 million, a PE ratio of 11.94 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 business's 50 day simple moving average is $13.65 and its 200-day simple moving average is $13.82. The company has a current ratio of 4.04, a quick ratio of 3.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The credit services provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $310.35 million. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 earnings per share for the current year.

EZCORP Company 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.