EZCORP, Inc. $EZPW Stake Decreased by First Wilshire Securities Management Inc.

Key Points

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First Wilshire Securities Management Inc. decreased its stake in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Free Report) by 1.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,311,490 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 28,540 shares during the period. EZCORP makes up 9.8% of First Wilshire Securities Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. First Wilshire Securities Management Inc. owned 4.20% of EZCORP worth $34,025,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ritholtz Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of EZCORP in the first quarter valued at about $382,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in shares of EZCORP by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 92,641 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,132,000 after purchasing an additional 5,524 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of EZCORP in the first quarter valued at about $902,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its stake in shares of EZCORP by 680.7% in the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 148,480 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $2,186,000 after purchasing an additional 129,460 shares during the period. Finally, LPL Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of EZCORP by 39.3% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 14,430 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $176,000 after purchasing an additional 4,070 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.83% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other EZCORP news, COO John Blair Jr. Powell sold 3,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.81, for a total transaction of $48,335.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 145,983 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,016,025.23. This trade represents a 2.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 2.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on EZPW. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of EZCORP from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 14th. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $25.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a report on Friday, August 1st. BTIG Research initiated coverage on shares of EZCORP in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. They set a "neutral" rating for the company. Finally, Stephens restated an "equal weight" rating and set a $17.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, EZCORP has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $18.50.

EZCORP Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of EZCORP stock traded up $0.15 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $16.00. 546,458 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 802,627. EZCORP, Inc. has a twelve month low of $10.56 and a twelve month high of $16.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $974.40 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.50 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $14.27 and a 200 day simple moving average of $14.30. The company has a current ratio of 6.31, a quick ratio of 5.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

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

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.