Ellsworth Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in EZCORP, Inc. $EZPW

Key Points

• Ellsworth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in EZCORP by purchasing 37,282 shares valued at approximately $549,000, and now owns about 0.07% of the company.
• Directors at EZCORP are actively trading; Director Matthew W. Appel sold 9,000 shares at an average price of $17.03, reducing his ownership by 5.94%.
• Wall Street analysts have positive outlooks for EZCORP, with one analyst upgrading the stock to a "strong-buy" rating and setting a price target range suggesting potential growth.

Ellsworth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 37,282 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $549,000. Ellsworth Advisors LLC owned about 0.07% of EZCORP as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the first quarter worth approximately $1,646,000. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in EZCORP by 2.1% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 348,482 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $5,130,000 after acquiring an additional 7,059 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the 1st quarter valued at about $362,000. Uniplan Investment Counsel Inc. bought a new stake in EZCORP in the first quarter valued at $999,000. Finally, PharVision Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the 1st quarter worth about $353,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.83% of the company's stock.

EZCORP Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of EZCORP stock traded up $0.18 on Wednesday, hitting $17.34. The company had a trading volume of 273,647 shares, compared to its average volume of 952,077. EZCORP, Inc. has a 1 year low of $10.56 and a 1 year high of $17.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 5.00 and a current ratio of 6.31. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $15.36 and a 200-day moving average of $14.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.54 and a beta of 0.63.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on EZPW. Stephens reissued an "equal weight" rating and set a $17.00 price objective on shares of EZCORP in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $25.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of EZCORP from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, June 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $18.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Matthew W. Appel sold 9,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.03, for a total value of $153,270.00. Following the sale, the director owned 142,409 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,425,225.27. The trade was a 5.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.13% of the company's stock.

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.