EZCORP, Inc. $EZPW Shares Bought by Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.

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. boosted its holdings 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 fund 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 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Ritholtz Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of EZCORP in the 1st quarter valued at $382,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in EZCORP by 6.3% during the 4th 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 worth $1,132,000 after acquiring an additional 5,524 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in EZCORP during the 1st quarter worth about $902,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its stake in EZCORP by 680.7% during the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 148,480 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $2,186,000 after acquiring an additional 129,460 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LPL Financial LLC lifted its stake in EZCORP by 39.3% during 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 in the last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on EZPW shares. Wall Street Zen raised EZCORP from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 14th. BTIG Research started coverage on EZCORP in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $25.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Stephens reissued an "equal weight" rating and set a $17.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a research note 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 issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, EZCORP currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $18.50.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO John Blair Jr. Powell sold 3,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.81, for a total transaction of $48,335.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 145,983 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,016,025.23. This represents a 2.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 2.13% of the company's stock.

EZCORP Trading Up 1.9%

NASDAQ:EZPW opened at $16.53 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $14.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $14.36. The stock has a market cap of $1.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.91 and a beta of 0.56. EZCORP, Inc. has a 1 year low of $10.56 and a 1 year high of $16.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 5.00 and a current ratio of 6.31.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $310.98 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $302.25 million. EZCORP had a return on equity of 11.85% and a net margin of 7.96%. As a group, analysts anticipate 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.

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