EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Shares Down 8.4% - What's Next?

Key Points

• EZCORP shares fell 8.4% to about $30.41, with trading volume roughly 49% below the average session volume.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive overall: six analysts rate the stock Buy and two rate it Hold, producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $39.
• EZCORP’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations on earnings, reporting $0.47 EPS versus the $0.41 consensus, although revenue of $408.4 million fell short of estimates.

EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) shares traded down 8.4% during trading on Thursday. The company traded as low as $29.57 and last traded at $30.4070. 458,158 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 49% from the average session volume of 891,093 shares. The stock had previously closed at $33.20.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings cut EZCORP from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of EZCORP from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Zacks Research lowered shares of EZCORP from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price target on shares of EZCORP from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of EZCORP from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $39.00.

EZCORP Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.82 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a 50 day moving average of $31.67 and a 200 day moving average of $31.62. The company has a quick ratio of 3.45, a current ratio of 4.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The credit services provider reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.41 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $408.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $425.83 million. EZCORP had a return on equity of 13.99% and a net margin of 9.97%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that EZCORP, Inc. will post 2.00 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Ellen Bryant sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.77, for a total transaction of $1,043,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 117,786 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,095,419.22. This represents a 20.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 2.13% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On EZCORP

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in EZPW. Wavvest Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in EZCORP during the third quarter valued at about $1,609,000. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. purchased a new position in shares of EZCORP in the 3rd quarter worth about $2,118,000. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its stake in shares of EZCORP by 546.4% in the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,183 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Elevated Financial Group LLC grew its stake in EZCORP by 8.5% during the third quarter. Elevated Financial Group LLC now owns 28,790 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $857,000 after buying an additional 2,262 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in shares of EZCORP by 178.2% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 696,826 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $20,738,000 after acquiring an additional 446,343 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.83% of the company's stock.

EZCORP Company Profile

EZCORP, Inc is a financial services and retail company that provides pawn loans and sells pre-owned merchandise. Through its pawn stores, the company offers short-term, collateral-based loans secured by personal property such as jewelry, electronics, tools and other consumer goods.

In addition to lending, EZCORP purchases and resells previously owned merchandise, giving customers access to used jewelry, electronics, tools, sporting goods and other products. Its retail operations also support the company's pawn-lending model by providing a sales channel for collateral that is not redeemed.

EZCORP serves customers through stores operating under brands that include EZPAWN and Value Pawn in the United States, as well as related brands in Latin American markets.

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.