North Star Investment Management Corp. Takes Position in EZCORP, Inc. $EZPW

Key Points

• North Star Investment Management initiated a new position in EZCORP during the first quarter, buying 70,000 shares worth about $1.78 million.
• Several other institutional investors also increased their EZCORP holdings, and institutions now own 99.83% of the company’s stock.
• EZCORP reported strong quarterly earnings, posting $0.58 EPS versus the $0.36 consensus estimate, while analysts currently rate the stock a Buy with a consensus target price of $37.25.

North Star Investment Management Corp. bought a new position in shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 70,000 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,777,000. North Star Investment Management Corp. owned about 0.11% of EZCORP as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in EZCORP by 11.4% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,610,029 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $68,735,000 after acquiring an additional 369,817 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,563,724 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $69,209,000 after acquiring an additional 84,566 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors grew its position in shares of EZCORP by 47.5% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 3,167,748 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $61,518,000 after purchasing an additional 1,019,622 shares during the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP grew its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 118,641 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in shares of EZCORP by 28.5% during the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,975,421 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $37,612,000 after purchasing an additional 437,601 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.83% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on EZPW. Weiss Ratings raised EZCORP from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Citigroup reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Zacks Research raised EZCORP from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $44.00 target price on EZCORP in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Citizens Jmp boosted their target price on shares of EZCORP from $33.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $37.25.

Insider Activity at EZCORP

In related news, Director Jason A. Kulas sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.56, for a total transaction of $671,200.00. Following the sale, the director owned 172,948 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,804,134.88. This trade represents a 10.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Pablo Lagos Espinosa sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.00, for a total transaction of $320,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 217,543 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,961,376. The trade was a 4.39% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 2.13% of the company's stock.

EZCORP Stock Up 2.5%

NASDAQ EZPW opened at $33.32 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 4.71, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. EZCORP, Inc. has a 1-year low of $13.07 and a 1-year high of $37.13. The company has a 50 day moving average of $32.22 and a 200-day moving average of $26.75. The company has a market cap of $2.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.11 and a beta of 0.63.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The credit services provider reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.22. EZCORP had a return on equity of 13.45% and a net margin of 9.91%.The business had revenue of $434.90 million during the quarter. On average, equities research analysts expect that EZCORP, Inc. will post 2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

EZCORP Profile

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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