Lazard Asset Management LLC Buys 61,613 Shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW)

Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its position in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Free Report) by 76.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 142,710 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 61,613 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned 0.26% of EZCORP worth $1,742,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in EZPW. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the fourth quarter worth $122,000. LPL Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of EZCORP by 39.3% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 14,430 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $176,000 after purchasing an additional 4,070 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the fourth quarter worth $186,000. Fox Run Management L.L.C. acquired a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the fourth quarter worth $188,000. Finally, O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the fourth quarter worth $197,000. 99.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on EZPW. Stephens reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $17.00 price objective on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen cut EZCORP from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. BTIG Research initiated coverage on EZCORP in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. Roth Capital set a $16.00 target price on EZCORP in a report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Roth Mkm initiated coverage on EZCORP in a report on Monday, March 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $16.00 target price on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $18.25.

EZCORP Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of EZCORP stock traded up $0.26 during trading on Friday, reaching $13.40. The stock had a trading volume of 841,917 shares, compared to its average volume of 728,349. The company has a market capitalization of $737.19 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.65 and a beta of 0.59. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $15.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $13.45. EZCORP, Inc. has a 52 week low of $9.66 and a 52 week high of $16.60. The company has a current ratio of 2.91, a quick ratio of 2.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The credit services provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $306.32 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $310.35 million. EZCORP had a return on equity of 11.04% and a net margin of 7.25%. Sell-side analysts predict 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.