Stephens Investment Management Group LLC Has $24.59 Million Stake in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW)

Stephens Investment Management Group LLC cut its holdings in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Free Report) by 3.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,670,288 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 56,285 shares during the quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC owned approximately 3.04% of EZCORP worth $24,587,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Ritholtz Wealth Management acquired a new stake in EZCORP in the 1st quarter valued at about $382,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,860,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 92,641 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,132,000 after purchasing an additional 5,524 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in EZCORP in the 1st quarter worth approximately $902,000. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its position in EZCORP by 680.7% in the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 148,480 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $2,186,000 after purchasing an additional 129,460 shares during the last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO John Blair Jr. Powell sold 42,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.55, for a total transaction of $618,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 189,483 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,756,977.65. The trade was a 18.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 86,000 shares of company stock worth $1,220,010. 2.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on EZPW shares. Roth Mkm assumed coverage on EZCORP in a research report on Monday, March 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $16.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded EZCORP from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, June 14th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price objective on EZCORP from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Stephens restated an "equal weight" rating and set a $17.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Roth Capital set a $16.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, EZCORP has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $18.50.

EZCORP Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of EZCORP stock traded up $0.01 during trading on Monday, reaching $14.20. 539,694 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,049,216. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $13.71 and a 200-day moving average price of $13.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $781.14 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.93 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a quick ratio of 3.25, a current ratio of 4.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. EZCORP, Inc. has a twelve month low of $9.91 and a twelve month high of $16.60.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The credit services provider reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $306.32 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $310.35 million. EZCORP had a return on equity of 11.53% and a net margin of 7.45%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About EZCORP

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.