Penn Capital Management Company LLC Sells 393,174 Shares of EZCORP, Inc. $EZPW

Key Points

• Penn Capital Management Company LLC has drastically reduced its holdings in EZCORP, Inc. by 96.9%, bringing their total shares down to 12,712 after selling 393,174 shares in the first quarter.
• EZCORP reported earnings per share of $0.33 for the last quarter, exceeding expectations and showing a revenue of $310.98 million, surpassing the consensus estimate.
• Wall Street analysts have mixed ratings on EZCORP, with one "Strong Buy," two "Buy," and two "Hold" ratings, alongside a consensus price target of $18.50.

Penn Capital Management Company LLC lowered its position in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Free Report) by 96.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 12,712 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 393,174 shares during the period. Penn Capital Management Company LLC's holdings in EZCORP were worth $187,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in EZCORP by 60.4% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,062 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 1,906 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI bought a new stake in shares of EZCORP in the first quarter valued at approximately $91,000. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of EZCORP in the first quarter valued at approximately $149,000. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of EZCORP in the first quarter valued at approximately $161,000. Finally, Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of EZCORP in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $138,000. Institutional investors own 99.83% of the company's stock.

EZCORP Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:EZPW traded up $0.02 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $16.54. 146,918 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 974,885. EZCORP, Inc. has a 12 month low of $10.56 and a 12 month high of $16.67. 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 business's 50-day moving average price is $14.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $14.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.91 and a beta of 0.56.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Transactions at EZCORP

In related news, COO John Blair Jr. Powell sold 3,500 shares of the 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 sale, the chief operating officer 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 2.13% of the company's stock.

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.