Natixis Advisors LLC Purchases 32,335 Shares of FirstCash Holdings, Inc. $FCFS

Key Points

• Natixis Advisors raised its stake in FirstCash by 15.5%, buying 32,335 shares to hold 241,168 shares (about 0.55%) valued at roughly $38.2 million after the third quarter.
• FirstCash beat expectations for the most recent quarter with EPS of $2.64 vs. $2.54 est. and revenue of $1.06 billion (up 19.8% year‑over‑year), and the stock recently traded near its 52‑week high around $196.
• Insiders have sold 30,500 shares (~$5.44 million) in the last 90 days while institutional investors own about 80.3% of the stock; analysts have a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $177.50.

Natixis Advisors LLC increased its holdings in FirstCash Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCFS - Free Report) by 15.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 241,168 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 32,335 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.55% of FirstCash worth $38,206,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blair William & Co. IL raised its holdings in shares of FirstCash by 42.4% in the 3rd quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 2,617 shares of the company's stock valued at $415,000 after purchasing an additional 779 shares in the last quarter. Evexia Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of FirstCash in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $3,353,000. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky boosted its stake in shares of FirstCash by 4.9% during the third quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 29,287 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,639,000 after purchasing an additional 1,369 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in FirstCash by 76.3% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 534,571 shares of the company's stock valued at $84,687,000 after buying an additional 231,379 shares during the period. Finally, Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC purchased a new position in FirstCash during the third quarter valued at approximately $210,000. 80.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered FirstCash from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday, February 15th. Zacks Research downgraded FirstCash from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, January 2nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of FirstCash in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group set a $217.00 price objective on FirstCash in a research note on Friday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, FirstCash has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $177.50.

FirstCash Trading Up 3.1%

NASDAQ:FCFS opened at $196.21 on Tuesday. FirstCash Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $111.46 and a 52 week high of $197.92. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $175.85 and a 200 day moving average of $162.27. The company has a quick ratio of 3.36, a current ratio of 4.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.44 and a beta of 0.46.

FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $2.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.54 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $1.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. FirstCash had a net margin of 9.02% and a return on equity of 17.99%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 19.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.12 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that FirstCash Holdings, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

FirstCash Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 18th were paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 18th. FirstCash's payout ratio is 22.64%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other FirstCash news, CFO R Douglas Orr sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.37, for a total value of $701,480.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 111,289 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,516,751.93. This trade represents a 3.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Thomas Brent Stuart sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.53, for a total value of $1,825,300.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 150,846 shares in the company, valued at $27,533,920.38. The trade was a 6.22% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 30,500 shares of company stock worth $5,438,945 in the last ninety days. 14.77% of the stock is owned by insiders.

FirstCash Profile

FirstCash, Inc NASDAQ: FCFS is a leading integrated operator of pawn stores and provider of short-term consumer loan services in the United States and Mexico. Through its retail pawn outlets, FirstCash offers collateral-based loans secured by personal property, enabling customers to access liquidity without a credit history or traditional bank account. The company also purchases, trades and sells a broad range of secondhand merchandise, including electronics, jewelry and power tools, through its network of conveniently located stores.

In addition to its pawn-broking activities, FirstCash provides unsecured consumer loans designed to meet urgent cash needs.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding FCFS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for FirstCash Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCFS - 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 reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.