EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) Shares Sold by Heartland Advisors Inc.

Key Points

• Heartland Advisors Inc. has reduced its stake in EZCORP by 29.8%, now owning 750,000 shares valued at approximately $11 million.
• EZCORP reported an EPS of $0.34 for the latest quarter, outperforming analyst estimates of $0.32, although revenue fell short of expectations at $306.32 million.
• Analysts have upgraded EZCORP's stock rating, with a consensus target price of $18.50 and ratings ranging from "buy" to "strong buy."

Heartland Advisors Inc. reduced its position in shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Free Report) by 29.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 750,000 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 318,500 shares during the period. Heartland Advisors Inc. owned about 1.36% of EZCORP worth $11,040,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Teza Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of EZCORP by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. Teza Capital Management LLC now owns 14,425 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $176,000 after purchasing an additional 896 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 60.4% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,062 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $75,000 after buying an additional 1,906 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 16.9% in the first quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 18,874 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $278,000 after buying an additional 2,725 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 4.3% in the first quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 80,099 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,179,000 after buying an additional 3,279 shares during the period. Finally, LPL Financial LLC lifted its holdings 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 buying an additional 4,070 shares during the period. 99.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

EZCORP Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ EZPW opened at $13.50 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 3.25 and a current ratio of 4.04. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $13.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $13.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $742.64 million, a PE ratio of 11.34 and a beta of 0.52. EZCORP, Inc. has a 52 week low of $10.03 and a 52 week high of $16.60.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The credit services provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.02. EZCORP had a return on equity of 11.53% and a net margin of 7.45%. The company had revenue of $306.32 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $310.35 million. Analysts predict that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on EZPW shares. Wall Street Zen raised EZCORP from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, June 14th. Stephens reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $17.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price on EZCORP from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, BTIG Research initiated coverage on EZCORP in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. They set a "neutral" rating for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, EZCORP has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $18.50.

Insider Transactions at EZCORP

In other EZCORP news, COO John Blair Jr. Powell sold 42,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.55, for a total value of $618,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 189,483 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,756,977.65. This trade represents a 18.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders sold 86,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,220,010 over the last quarter. 2.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

EZCORP Company 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.

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