XTX Topco Ltd Grows Stock Holdings in 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 raised its stake in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Free Report) by 93.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 40,530 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 19,603 shares during the period. XTX Topco Ltd owned about 0.07% of EZCORP worth $597,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its position in EZCORP by 40.6% during the 1st quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 53,519 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $788,000 after purchasing an additional 15,460 shares in the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP lifted its stake in EZCORP by 14.1% in the first quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 751,515 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $11,062,000 after acquiring an additional 93,000 shares during the period. Carnegie Investment Counsel purchased a new stake in EZCORP in the first quarter worth about $205,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in EZCORP during the 1st quarter worth about $491,000. Finally, Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in EZCORP during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,730,000. 99.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insider Transactions at EZCORP

In other news, COO John Blair Jr. Powell sold 3,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.81, for a total value of $48,335.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 145,983 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 available at this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 43,500 shares of company stock worth $601,635 over the last ninety days. 2.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

EZCORP Price Performance

EZPW stock remained flat at $15.28 during trading on Friday. The company had a trading volume of 589,662 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,013,555. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 6.31 and a quick ratio of 5.00. EZCORP, Inc. has a 12 month low of $10.56 and a 12 month high of $16.60. The stock has a market cap of $840.55 million, a PE ratio of 11.94 and a beta of 0.56. The business's fifty day moving average price is $13.74 and its 200-day moving average price is $14.03.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.23 by $0.10. EZCORP had a return on equity of 11.85% and a net margin of 7.96%. The firm had revenue of $310.98 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $302.25 million. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.