JPMorgan Chase & Co. Boosts Stock Position in EZCORP, Inc. $EZPW

Key Points

• JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in EZCORP by 163.6% in Q3, buying an additional 299,920 shares to own 483,211 shares (about $9.2M, ~0.79% of the company).
• Institutional ownership is very high (~99.83%), with major funds like Vanguard (3.61M shares, ~$68.7M), Capital Research and Millennium materially increasing their positions during the quarter.
• EZCORP beat Q results (EPS $0.55 vs. $0.40 expected; revenue $374.5M vs. $363.6M) and carries a consensus analyst rating of Moderate Buy with a $28 price target.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Free Report) by 163.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 483,211 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 299,920 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned about 0.79% of EZCORP worth $9,200,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of EZCORP by 11.4% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,610,029 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $68,735,000 after acquiring an additional 369,817 shares during the period. Wasatch Advisors LP increased its holdings in EZCORP by 5.4% in the second quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 2,321,138 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $32,217,000 after buying an additional 118,641 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors increased its holdings in EZCORP by 27.7% in the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,148,126 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $40,900,000 after buying an additional 465,462 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in shares of EZCORP by 28.5% during the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,975,421 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $37,612,000 after acquiring an additional 437,601 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of EZCORP by 8.6% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,246,427 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $23,732,000 after acquiring an additional 99,059 shares in the last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

EZCORP Stock Performance

Shares of EZPW opened at $25.21 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 6.03 and a quick ratio of 4.69. EZCORP, Inc. has a 1-year low of $12.85 and a 1-year high of $27.30. The stock has a market cap of $1.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.16 and a beta of 0.49. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $24.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $20.94.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $374.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $363.63 million. EZCORP had a return on equity of 12.37% and a net margin of 9.18%. Equities analysts forecast that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EZPW has been the topic of a number of research reports. Roth Mkm restated a "buy" rating and issued a $26.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded EZCORP from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Citigroup reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of EZCORP in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Zacks Research upgraded EZCORP from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $28.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other EZCORP news, Director Pablo Lagos Espinosa sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.00, for a total value of $500,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 208,177 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,204,425. This represents a 8.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CRO Nicole Swies sold 24,138 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.75, for a total transaction of $597,415.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive owned 115,266 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,852,833.50. This trade represents a 17.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 84,138 shares of company stock worth $2,102,416 in the last ninety days. 2.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About EZCORP

EZCORP, Inc is a specialty consumer finance company that provides pawn loans and retail merchandise programs primarily through its EZPAWN and Cash Converters brands. The company offers collateral-based loans secured principally by jewelry, electronics, musical instruments and other personal items, alongside check-cashing, money-transfer and bill-payment services. In addition to its pawn lending operations, EZCORP acquires previously pawned or consumer merchandise for resale through its “Sell-It-Now” platform and retail storefronts.

Founded in 1989 and headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, EZCORP operates in two principal geographic markets: the United States and Mexico.

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