Fourth Sail Capital LP Acquires 798,679 Shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW)

Key Points

• Fourth Sail Capital LP increased its stake in EZCORP by 503.6% during the first quarter, owning a total of 957,262 shares worth approximately $14.1 million.
• Insider COO John Blair Jr. Powell sold 3,500 shares of EZCORP stock, representing a 2.34% decrease in their ownership, while company insiders have sold a total of 86,000 shares worth about $1.2 million in the last ninety days.
• EZCORP reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $0.33 for the last quarter, surpassing expectations, and has a consensus target price of $18.50 among analysts.

Fourth Sail Capital LP increased its holdings in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Free Report) by 503.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 957,262 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 798,679 shares during the quarter. EZCORP accounts for about 3.3% of Fourth Sail Capital LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. Fourth Sail Capital LP owned approximately 1.74% of EZCORP worth $14,091,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC increased its stake in EZCORP by 18.4% in the fourth quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC now owns 2,002,197 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $24,467,000 after purchasing an additional 310,706 shares during the period. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP boosted its stake in EZCORP by 1,699.2% in the 4th quarter. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP now owns 1,246,445 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $15,232,000 after purchasing an additional 1,177,166 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in EZCORP by 23.9% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,195,784 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $14,612,000 after acquiring an additional 231,018 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP lifted its stake in EZCORP by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 1,022,570 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $12,496,000 after acquiring an additional 12,800 shares during the period. Finally, Invenomic Capital Management LP grew its position in EZCORP by 317.1% during the 4th quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP now owns 789,768 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $9,651,000 after purchasing an additional 600,435 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.83% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at EZCORP

In other news, COO John Blair Jr. Powell sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.17, for a total transaction of $283,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 169,483 shares in the company, valued at $2,401,574.11. The trade was a 10.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 43,500 shares of company stock worth $601,635. Insiders own 2.13% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EZPW has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. BTIG Research started coverage on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. Stephens restated 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 restated a "buy" rating and issued a $25.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of EZCORP from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $18.50.

EZCORP Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NASDAQ EZPW traded down $0.08 on Thursday, hitting $15.28. The company had a trading volume of 665,249 shares, compared to its average volume of 794,961. The business has a 50 day moving average of $13.74 and a two-hundred day moving average of $14.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $840.55 million, a P/E ratio of 11.94 and a beta of 0.56. 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 12-month low of $10.56 and a 12-month high of $16.60.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $302.25 million. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.