FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS) Trading Down 8.3% - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• FirstCash shares fell 8.3% on Thursday, trading as low as $192.08 after closing at $208.74 the prior day, with volume running below average.
• Despite the drop, analyst sentiment remains fairly constructive: the stock carries a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $199.25, though recent ratings have been mixed.
• The company recently reported strong quarterly results, including EPS of $2.50 versus $2.39 expected and revenue up 29.4% year over year, while insiders have also sold shares in recent months.

FirstCash Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCFS - Get Free Report)'s stock price fell 8.3% on Thursday . The company traded as low as $192.08 and last traded at $191.4460. 303,373 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 16% from the average session volume of 362,340 shares. The stock had previously closed at $208.74.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on FCFS shares. Wall Street Zen lowered FirstCash from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, May 10th. TD Cowen raised their price target on FirstCash from $235.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Zacks Research cut FirstCash from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their target price on FirstCash from $242.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut FirstCash from a "buy (a-)" rating to a "buy (b+)" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, FirstCash has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $199.25.

FirstCash Trading Down 5.9%

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 company has a market cap of $8.61 billion, a PE ratio of 24.67 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $220.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $200.84.

FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $2.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.39 by $0.11. FirstCash had a return on equity of 18.68% and a net margin of 9.15%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 29.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.34 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that FirstCash Holdings, Inc. will post 11.33 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other FirstCash news, CFO R Douglas Orr sold 2,000 shares of FirstCash stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.29, for a total transaction of $454,580.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 35,734 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,121,980.86. The trade was a 5.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Raul Ramos sold 6,835 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.23, for a total value of $1,539,447.05. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 20,400 shares in the company, valued at $4,594,692. This trade represents a 25.10% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 27,500 shares of company stock worth $6,243,104. 2.86% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On FirstCash

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of FCFS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in FirstCash by 133.8% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 562,104 shares of the company's stock valued at $89,588,000 after acquiring an additional 321,663 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in shares of FirstCash by 36.4% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,169,281 shares of the company's stock valued at $186,361,000 after purchasing an additional 312,132 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of FirstCash by 67.6% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 623,059 shares of the company's stock valued at $97,503,000 after purchasing an additional 251,305 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its stake in shares of FirstCash by 280.5% during the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 305,856 shares of the company's stock worth $48,454,000 after purchasing an additional 225,466 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Candriam S.C.A. purchased a new stake in shares of FirstCash during the first quarter worth approximately $28,371,000. 80.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.