Uniplan Investment Counsel Inc. Invests $999,000 in EZCORP, Inc. $EZPW

Key Points

• Uniplan Investment Counsel Inc. has acquired a new stake in EZCORP, Inc., purchasing 67,872 shares valued at approximately $999,000, bringing its total ownership to 0.12%.
• EZCORP reported a quarterly earnings per share of $0.33, exceeding the consensus estimate of $0.23, with revenues totaling $310.98 million.
• Various large investors, including Hsbc Holdings PLC and Janney Montgomery Scott LLC, have made significant changes to their positions in EZCORP during the first quarter, indicating heightened interest among institutional investors.

Uniplan Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 67,872 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $999,000. Uniplan Investment Counsel Inc. owned 0.12% of EZCORP as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Teza Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of EZCORP by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. Teza Capital Management LLC now owns 14,425 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $176,000 after acquiring an additional 896 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of EZCORP by 60.4% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,062 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $75,000 after acquiring an additional 1,906 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of EZCORP by 16.9% in the 1st quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 18,874 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $278,000 after acquiring an additional 2,725 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System raised its stake in shares of EZCORP by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 80,099 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,179,000 after acquiring an additional 3,279 shares during the period. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of EZCORP by 9.3% in the 1st quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 39,760 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $585,000 after acquiring an additional 3,393 shares during the period. 99.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

EZCORP Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of EZPW stock traded up $0.05 during trading on Friday, reaching $17.04. The company's stock had a trading volume of 385,095 shares, compared to its average volume of 592,127. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 6.31 and a quick ratio of 5.00. EZCORP, Inc. has a 1-year low of $10.56 and a 1-year high of $17.26. The company has a market capitalization of $1.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.31 and a beta of 0.63. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $15.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $14.63.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.23 by $0.10. EZCORP had a net margin of 7.96% and a return on equity of 11.85%. The company had revenue of $310.98 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $302.25 million. On average, research analysts anticipate that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other EZCORP news, Director Matthew W. Appel sold 9,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.03, for a total transaction of $153,270.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 142,409 shares in the company, valued at $2,425,225.27. The trade was a 5.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 2.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on EZPW. Stephens reissued an "equal weight" rating and issued a $17.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of EZCORP from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, June 14th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $25.00 price objective on shares of EZCORP in a report on Friday, August 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $18.50.

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.