Invesco Ltd. Increases Position in EZCORP, Inc. $EZPW

Key Points

• Invesco Ltd. has increased its stake in EZCORP, Inc. by 31.0% in the first quarter, now owning 1,520,830 shares valued at approximately $22.39 million.
• Multiple large investors have significantly increased their positions in EZCORP, including Divisadero Street Capital Management with a 1,699.2% increase, now holding over 1.24 million shares.
• Analysts have generally upgraded EZCORP’s stock rating, with Wall Street Zen moving it from a "buy" to a "strong-buy," while other firms have set price targets ranging from $17.00 to $25.00.

Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Free Report) by 31.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,520,830 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 359,543 shares during the quarter. Invesco Ltd. owned 2.76% of EZCORP worth $22,387,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in EZPW. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP increased its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $15,232,000 after purchasing an additional 1,177,166 shares in the last quarter. Fourth Sail Capital LP increased its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 503.6% in the 1st quarter. Fourth Sail Capital LP now owns 957,262 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $14,091,000 after purchasing an additional 798,679 shares in the last quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP increased its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 317.1% in the 4th quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP now owns 789,768 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $9,651,000 after purchasing an additional 600,435 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC purchased a new position in EZCORP during the 1st quarter valued at about $8,310,000. Finally, Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC increased its holdings 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 valued at $24,467,000 after acquiring an additional 310,706 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.83% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other EZCORP news, COO John Blair Jr. Powell sold 3,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.81, for a total transaction of $48,335.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 145,983 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,016,025.23. This trade represents a 2.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 2.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on EZPW shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of EZCORP from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, June 14th. BTIG Research started coverage on shares of EZCORP in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. They issued a "neutral" rating on the stock. Stephens reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and issued a $17.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $25.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a report on Friday, August 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $18.50.

EZCORP Price Performance

EZCORP stock opened at $15.64 on Thursday. EZCORP, Inc. has a 12-month low of $10.56 and a 12-month high of $16.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $952.48 million, a P/E ratio of 12.22 and a beta of 0.56. The firm's 50-day moving average is $14.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $14.24. 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 (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $0.33 earnings per share (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 analysts' expectations of $302.25 million. Equities analysts predict that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 earnings per share for the current 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EZPW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.