Peregrine Capital Management LLC Acquires Shares of 68,377 FirstCash Holdings, Inc. $FCFS

Key Points

• Peregrine Capital Management LLC opened a new position in FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS) in Q4, buying 68,377 shares worth about $10.9 million and owning roughly 0.15% of the company at period end.
• Company insiders sold a total of 26,500 shares in the last quarter — including Howard F. Hambleton (4,000 shares at $185.12) and COO Thomas Brent Stuart (10,000 shares at $182.53) — leaving insiders with 2.93% ownership.
• FirstCash beat quarterly estimates with EPS of $2.69 vs. $2.30 and revenue up 25.7%; the stock recently traded near a 1-year high (~$223) and carries an average analyst rating of "Buy" with a $183.25 average price target.

Peregrine Capital Management LLC bought a new position in FirstCash Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCFS - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 68,377 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,898,000. Peregrine Capital Management LLC owned 0.15% of FirstCash at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of FCFS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of FirstCash by 96.0% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 240,441 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,091,000 after purchasing an additional 117,788 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC boosted its position in shares of FirstCash by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 857,510 shares of the company's stock worth $135,847,000 after purchasing an additional 8,610 shares in the last quarter. Coastal Bridge Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of FirstCash in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,361,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in FirstCash by 76.3% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Mirabella Financial Services LLP purchased a new position in FirstCash during the third quarter valued at $3,463,000. 80.30% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Howard F. Hambleton sold 4,000 shares of FirstCash stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.12, for a total value of $740,480.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 35,406 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,554,358.72. The trade was a 10.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, COO Thomas Brent Stuart sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $27,533,920.38. This trade represents a 6.22% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 26,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,783,985. Company insiders own 2.93% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FCFS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their target price on FirstCash from $217.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Zacks Research lowered FirstCash from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Weiss Ratings raised shares of FirstCash from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of FirstCash from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, February 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $183.25.

FirstCash Stock Performance

Shares of FirstCash stock traded up $17.52 during trading on Thursday, hitting $223.15. 26,200 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 305,585. FirstCash Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $119.21 and a 1 year high of $224.77. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $193.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $172.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.97 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 4.55 and a quick ratio of 3.36.

FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.30 by $0.39. FirstCash had a net margin of 9.02% and a return on equity of 17.99%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 25.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.07 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that FirstCash Holdings, Inc. will post 10.57 EPS for the current year.

FirstCash Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 18th were issued a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. FirstCash's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.64%.

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.

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