Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Has $86.94 Million Position in EZCORP, Inc. $EZPW

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors reduced its EZCORP stake by 3.9% in the first quarter but still held 3.43 million shares worth approximately $86.9 million, or 5.55% of the company. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 99.83% of EZCORP.
• EZCORP insiders sold 40,000 shares worth approximately $1.35 million over the past 90 days, including sales by directors Jason Kulas and Pablo Lagos Espinosa.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $38.80. EZCORP also exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $0.58 in EPS versus the $0.36 consensus estimate.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lessened its holdings in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Free Report) by 3.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,425,789 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 137,935 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 5.55% of EZCORP worth $86,945,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in EZCORP in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. KBC Group NV bought a new position in shares of EZCORP during the first quarter valued at $44,000. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 533.5% during the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 2,667 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 2,246 shares during the period. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 21.2% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,146 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $81,000 after purchasing an additional 724 shares during the period. Finally, State of Wyoming grew its stake in shares of EZCORP by 178.1% in the second quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 11,069 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $154,000 after purchasing an additional 7,089 shares during the last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at EZCORP

In related news, Director Jason A. Kulas sold 20,000 shares of EZCORP stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.56, for a total value of $671,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 172,948 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,804,134.88. This trade represents a 10.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Pablo Lagos Espinosa sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.54, for a total transaction of $355,400.00. Following the sale, the director owned 207,543 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,376,078.22. This trade represents a 4.60% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 40,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,346,600. Corporate insiders own 2.13% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EZPW has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Roth Capital restated a "buy" rating and issued a $40.00 price objective on shares of EZCORP in a report on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (a-)" rating on shares of EZCORP in a report on Monday, July 6th. Citizens Jmp upped their price target on EZCORP from $33.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on EZCORP from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded EZCORP from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, EZCORP currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $38.80.

EZCORP Price Performance

EZPW stock opened at $29.16 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 4.71 and a quick ratio of 3.52. The company's 50-day moving average is $32.27 and its 200-day moving average is $28.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.79 billion, a PE ratio of 15.85 and a beta of 0.64. EZCORP, Inc. has a 1 year low of $13.74 and a 1 year high of $37.13.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The credit services provider reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.22. EZCORP had a return on equity of 13.45% and a net margin of 9.91%.The business had revenue of $434.90 million during the quarter. Equities research analysts expect that EZCORP, Inc. will post 2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About EZCORP

EZCORP, Inc is a specialty consumer finance company that provides pawn loans and retail merchandise programs primarily through its EZPAWN and Cash Converters brands. The company offers collateral-based loans secured principally by jewelry, electronics, musical instruments and other personal items, alongside check-cashing, money-transfer and bill-payment services. In addition to its pawn lending operations, EZCORP acquires previously pawned or consumer merchandise for resale through its “Sell-It-Now” platform and retail storefronts.

Founded in 1989 and headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, EZCORP operates in two principal geographic markets: the United States and Mexico.

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