Cerity Partners LLC Makes New $8.31 Million Investment in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW)

Cerity Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 564,555 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $8,310,000. Cerity Partners LLC owned 1.03% of EZCORP at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of EZCORP by 60.4% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,062 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $75,000 after acquiring an additional 1,906 shares in the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in EZCORP in the 4th quarter worth approximately $122,000. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC bought a new position in EZCORP in the 4th quarter worth approximately $138,000. LPL Financial LLC increased its position in EZCORP by 39.3% in the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 14,430 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $176,000 after buying an additional 4,070 shares during the period. Finally, Teza Capital Management LLC increased its position in EZCORP by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. Teza Capital Management LLC now owns 14,425 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $176,000 after buying an additional 896 shares during the period. 99.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other EZCORP news, COO John Blair Jr. Powell sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief operating officer owned 145,983 shares in the company, valued at $2,016,025.23. This represents a 2.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Over the last three months, insiders sold 86,000 shares of company stock worth $1,220,010. Insiders own 2.13% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

EZCORP Price Performance

Shares of EZPW traded down $0.25 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $13.98. The company's stock had a trading volume of 552,302 shares, compared to its average volume of 785,396. The company has a quick ratio of 3.25, a current ratio of 4.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. EZCORP, Inc. has a one year low of $9.91 and a one year high of $16.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $769.10 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.75 and a beta of 0.52. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $13.63 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $13.84.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last announced 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. The firm had revenue of $306.32 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $310.35 million. EZCORP had a return on equity of 11.53% and a net margin of 7.45%. As a group, equities analysts expect that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.