XTX Topco Ltd Purchases 19,603 Shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW)

Key Points

• XTX Topco Ltd significantly increased its holdings in EZCORP, Inc. by 93.7%, owning 40,530 shares valued at approximately $597,000 after purchasing an additional 19,603 shares in the first quarter.
earnings of $0.33 per share for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations of $0.23, with revenues of $310.98 million, which was also above estimated figures.
• Insider trading activity has been noted, with COO John Blair Jr. Powell selling 3,500 shares, decreasing their ownership by 2.34%, as corporate insiders collectively hold 2.13% of the company's stock.

XTX Topco Ltd increased its position in shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Free Report) by 93.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 40,530 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 19,603 shares during the period. XTX Topco Ltd owned approximately 0.07% of EZCORP worth $597,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position 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 acquiring an additional 1,906 shares in the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in shares of EZCORP in the fourth quarter valued at $122,000. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of EZCORP in the fourth quarter valued at $138,000. Carnegie Investment Counsel purchased a new stake in shares of EZCORP in the first quarter valued at $205,000. Finally, Teza Capital Management LLC lifted its position 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 valued at $176,000 after acquiring an additional 896 shares in the last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on EZPW. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $25.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a report on Friday, August 1st. BTIG Research started coverage on shares of EZCORP in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of EZCORP from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, June 14th. Finally, Stephens restated an "equal weight" rating and set a $17.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, EZCORP presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $18.50.

EZCORP Price Performance

Shares of EZPW stock remained flat at $15.28 during trading hours on Friday. 589,662 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 762,236. The firm has a market capitalization of $930.55 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.94 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 6.31 and a quick ratio of 5.00. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $13.78 and a two-hundred day moving average of $14.05. EZCORP, Inc. has a twelve month low of $10.56 and a twelve month high of $16.60.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other EZCORP news, COO John Blair Jr. Powell sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.17, for a total value of $283,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 169,483 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,401,574.11. This represents a 10.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 43,500 shares of company stock worth $601,635. 2.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.