EZCORP, Inc. $EZPW Shares Sold by First Wilshire Securities Management Inc.

Key Points

• First Wilshire Securities Management cut its EZCORP stake by 57.4% in the first quarter, selling nearly 1 million shares and leaving it with 740,771 shares worth about $18.8 million.
• EZCORP reported strong quarterly results, posting $0.58 EPS versus the $0.36 consensus estimate on revenue of $434.9 million. The company also showed solid profitability, with a 13.45% return on equity.
• Wall Street sentiment remains positive: several analysts maintained or raised buy ratings, including Jefferies lifting its target to $45, while the average price target is $38.80, above the recent $32.53 share price.

First Wilshire Securities Management Inc. cut its holdings in shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Free Report) by 57.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 740,771 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 998,230 shares during the quarter. EZCORP accounts for 4.2% of First Wilshire Securities Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest position. First Wilshire Securities Management Inc. owned approximately 1.20% of EZCORP worth $18,801,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in EZCORP by 47.5% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 3,167,748 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $61,518,000 after purchasing an additional 1,019,622 shares in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd raised its stake in EZCORP by 70.2% in the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 1,063,677 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $14,764,000 after buying an additional 438,542 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in EZCORP by 28.5% during the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,975,421 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $37,612,000 after buying an additional 437,601 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in EZCORP by 89.2% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 785,131 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $15,247,000 after buying an additional 370,103 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in shares of EZCORP by 121.5% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 644,120 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $12,509,000 after acquiring an additional 353,327 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.83% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at EZCORP

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

EZCORP Trading Up 1.8%

NASDAQ:EZPW opened at $32.53 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.00 billion, a PE ratio of 17.68 and a beta of 0.64. EZCORP, Inc. has a 52-week low of $13.07 and a 52-week high of $37.13. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $32.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $28.28. The company has a quick ratio of 3.52, a current ratio of 4.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

EZPW has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on EZCORP from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (a-)" rating on shares of EZCORP in a report on Monday, July 6th. Roth Capital restated a "buy" rating and set a $40.00 price objective on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of EZCORP from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, June 27th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group set a $44.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Friday, May 8th. One equities research 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 MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $38.80.

EZCORP Profile

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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