FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS) Reaches New 52-Week High - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• FirstCash Holdings, Inc. reached a new 52-week high of $138.43 with a market cap of $6.15 billion and a PE ratio of 21.28.
• Equities research analysts have adjusted their ratings, with Wall Street Zen lowering the stock from a "strong-buy" to a "buy" rating, and Capital One Financial setting a price target of $160.00.
• The company recently announced an increase in its quarterly dividend from $0.38 to $0.42, with a yield of 1.2% and a payout ratio of 23.35%.

Shares of FirstCash Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCFS - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $138.43 and last traded at $138.42, with a volume of 78397 shares. The stock had previously closed at $136.36.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered FirstCash from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 12th. Capital One Financial set a $160.00 price target on FirstCash in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th.

FirstCash Trading Up 1.6%

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $131.34 and a 200 day moving average of $124.45. The stock has a market cap of $6.15 billion, a PE ratio of 21.28 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a quick ratio of 3.12, a current ratio of 4.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79.

FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $1.79 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.66 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $830.62 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $820.42 million. FirstCash had a return on equity of 16.63% and a net margin of 8.61%. FirstCash's revenue for the quarter was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.37 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that FirstCash Holdings, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current year.

FirstCash Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a $0.42 dividend. This is an increase from FirstCash's previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. FirstCash's payout ratio is currently 23.35%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other FirstCash news, insider Howard F. Hambleton sold 3,900 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.93, for a total value of $510,627.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 32,481 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,252,737.33. The trade was a 10.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director James H. Graves sold 6,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.56, for a total value of $807,360.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 15,846 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,132,237.76. The trade was a 27.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 14.77% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of FirstCash in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of FirstCash by 808.0% in the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 227 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in shares of FirstCash by 181.6% in the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 290 shares of the company's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. CX Institutional purchased a new stake in shares of FirstCash in the first quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd increased its position in shares of FirstCash by 169.9% in the second quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 448 shares of the company's stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 282 shares in the last quarter. 80.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About FirstCash

FirstCash Holdings, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates retail pawn stores in the United States, Mexico, and rest of Latin America. The company operates in three segments: U.S. Pawn, Latin America Pawn, and Retail POS Payment Solutions segments. Its pawn stores lend money on the collateral of pledged personal property, including jewelry, electronics, tools, appliances, sporting goods, and musical instruments; and retails merchandise acquired through collateral forfeitures on forfeited pawn loans and over-the-counter purchases of merchandise directly from customers.

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