GAMMA Investing LLC Acquires 71,357 Shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW)

GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Free Report) by 2,261.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 74,513 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 71,357 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC owned about 0.14% of EZCORP worth $1,097,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC raised its stake in EZCORP by 18.4% during the 4th quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC now owns 2,002,197 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $24,467,000 after buying an additional 310,706 shares during the period. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP raised its position in shares of EZCORP by 1,699.2% during the fourth 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 during the period. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 23.9% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,195,784 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $14,612,000 after purchasing an additional 231,018 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its position in shares of EZCORP by 1.3% in 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 purchasing an additional 12,800 shares during the period. Finally, Invenomic Capital Management LP increased its stake 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 in the last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EZPW has been the topic of a number of research reports. BTIG Research began coverage on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. They issued a "neutral" rating on the stock. Stephens restated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $17.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Roth Mkm initiated coverage on EZCORP in a research report on Monday, March 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $16.00 price objective for the company. Roth Capital set a $16.00 target price on EZCORP in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised EZCORP from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $18.25.

EZCORP Stock Performance

Shares of EZCORP stock traded down $0.02 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $13.30. 983,070 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 753,500. EZCORP, Inc. has a 1-year low of $9.66 and a 1-year high of $16.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $731.63 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.66 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $14.54 and a 200-day moving average price of $13.60. The company has a current ratio of 4.04, a quick ratio of 3.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The credit services provider reported $0.34 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $306.32 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $310.35 million. As a group, equities analysts predict that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO John Blair Jr. Powell sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was 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 now directly owns 169,483 shares in the company, valued at $2,401,574.11. This trade represents a 10.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 86,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,220,010. 2.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About EZCORP

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.