FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS) Reaches New 1-Year High - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• FirstCash (NASDAQ: FCFS) hit a new 52-week high of $235.97, reflecting strong recent momentum even though the stock later slipped slightly intraday.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive: multiple firms raised price targets, and the stock now carries an average Buy rating, with targets ranging up to $252.
• The company posted better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $2.69 versus $2.30 expected and revenue up 25.7% year over year; it also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.42 per share.

FirstCash Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCFS - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $235.97 and last traded at $230.54, with a volume of 486242 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $233.00.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on FCFS. Zacks Research upgraded FirstCash from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Wall Street Zen lowered FirstCash from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday. TD Cowen increased their price target on FirstCash from $205.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price objective on FirstCash from $242.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered FirstCash from a "buy (a-)" rating to a "buy (b+)" rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $198.00.

FirstCash Stock Down 1.1%

The firm has a market cap of $10.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.89 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a current ratio of 4.77, a quick ratio of 3.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $202.10 and a 200-day moving average price of $178.48.

FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.30 by $0.39. The firm had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1 billion. FirstCash had a return on equity of 18.68% and a net margin of 9.15%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 25.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.07 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that FirstCash Holdings, Inc. will post 11.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

FirstCash Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. FirstCash's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.05%.

Insider Transactions at FirstCash

In other news, COO Thomas Brent Stuart sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.53, for a total transaction of $1,825,300.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 150,846 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,533,920.38. This trade represents a 6.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Howard F. Hambleton sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.12, for a total value of $740,480.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 35,406 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,554,358.72. This represents a 10.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 18,500 shares of company stock worth $3,440,840. Corporate insiders own 2.86% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On FirstCash

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Chase Investment Counsel Corp boosted its position in FirstCash by 71.7% during the first quarter. Chase Investment Counsel Corp now owns 8,236 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,548,000 after purchasing an additional 3,440 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its position in FirstCash by 19.4% during the first quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,349 shares of the company's stock valued at $254,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in FirstCash during the first quarter valued at about $212,000. California Public Employees Retirement System bought a new stake in FirstCash during the first quarter valued at about $10,423,000. Finally, Future Fund LLC boosted its position in FirstCash by 27.1% during the first quarter. Future Fund LLC now owns 18,889 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,551,000 after purchasing an additional 4,024 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.30% of the company's stock.

FirstCash Company 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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