Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Increases Holdings in EZCORP, Inc. $EZPW

Key Points

• Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in EZCORP, Inc. by 28.1%, owning approximately 0.80% of the company, valued at about $6.5 million.
• Analysts have shown increased confidence in EZCORP, with Wall Street Zen upgrading the stock to a "strong-buy" rating and an average target price now set at $18.50.
• EZCORP reported earnings of $0.33 per share for the last quarter, exceeding estimates, with revenue reaching $310.98 million.

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Free Report) by 28.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 439,961 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 96,516 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned about 0.80% of EZCORP worth $6,476,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in 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 purchasing an additional 1,906 shares during the period. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of EZCORP in the fourth quarter valued at $138,000. Carnegie Investment Counsel bought a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the first quarter worth about $205,000. Teza Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 896 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LPL Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 4,070 shares during the last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at EZCORP

In other EZCORP 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 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 represents a 2.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 2.13% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Wall Street Zen raised EZCORP from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, June 14th. Stephens reiterated an "equal weight" rating and set a $17.00 price target 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 research report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, BTIG Research assumed coverage on shares of EZCORP in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $18.50.

EZCORP Stock Performance

NASDAQ EZPW traded up $0.15 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $16.67. 402,608 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 693,113. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.02 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a quick ratio of 5.00, a current ratio of 6.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. EZCORP, Inc. has a 1 year low of $10.56 and a 1 year high of $16.67. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $14.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $14.43.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last issued 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $302.25 million. On average, equities research analysts expect that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 earnings per share for the current 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.