Vestcor Inc Makes New $316,000 Investment in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW)

Key Points

• Vestcor Inc has established a new position in EZCORP, purchasing 21,465 shares valued at approximately $316,000 during the first quarter.
• Insider trading activity includes COO John Blair Jr. Powell selling 42,500 shares at an average price of $14.55, representing an 18.32% decrease in his holdings.
• Several brokerages have provided positive ratings for EZCORP, with Canaccord Genuity setting a $25.00 price target and Wall Street Zen upgrading it to a "strong-buy" rating.

Vestcor Inc purchased a new position in shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 21,465 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $316,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of EZCORP by 60.4% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,062 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $75,000 after acquiring an additional 1,906 shares in the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in EZCORP in the 4th quarter valued at $122,000. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the 4th quarter valued at $138,000. Carnegie Investment Counsel purchased a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the 1st quarter valued at $205,000. Finally, Teza Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of EZCORP by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Teza Capital Management LLC now owns 14,425 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $176,000 after buying an additional 896 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.83% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at EZCORP

In related news, COO John Blair Jr. Powell sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.17, for a total value of $283,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 169,483 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,401,574.11. This trade represents a 10.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 43,500 shares of company stock worth $601,635. 2.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

EZCORP Stock Up 0.9%

EZPW stock traded up $0.13 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $15.41. The company had a trading volume of 203,330 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,010,906. The company has a market capitalization of $847.76 million, a P/E ratio of 12.06 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a 50 day moving average of $13.74 and a two-hundred day moving average of $14.03. The company has a current ratio of 6.31, a quick ratio of 5.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. EZCORP, Inc. has a 1 year low of $10.56 and a 1 year high of $16.60.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on EZPW. Stephens reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $17.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $25.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Friday, August 1st. BTIG Research began coverage on shares of EZCORP in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. They set a "neutral" rating for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of EZCORP from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average 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.