EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Trading Down 7.3% - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• EZCORP shares fell 7.3% to $29.95, with trading volume 67% below the average daily level. The stock’s market capitalization is approximately $1.87 billion.
• Analyst sentiment remains generally positive, with six Buy ratings and two Holds, producing a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $38.80 target price—well above the recent share price.
• The company beat quarterly EPS estimates, reporting $0.47 versus the expected $0.41, although revenue of $408.4 million came in below the $425.83 million consensus estimate. Insiders recently sold shares under pre-arranged trading plans, while institutional investors own 99.83% of the stock.

EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) shares traded down 7.3% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $30.36 and last traded at $29.95. 304,528 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 67% from the average daily volume of 922,856 shares. The stock had previously closed at $32.30.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on EZPW shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of EZCORP from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of EZCORP from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Zacks Research cut shares of EZCORP from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on EZCORP from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, EZCORP presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $38.80.

EZCORP Trading Down 6.0%

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.87 billion, a PE ratio of 15.37 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a current ratio of 4.81, a quick ratio of 3.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $31.44 and a 200-day moving average price of $30.61.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The credit services provider reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.06. EZCORP had a net margin of 9.97% and a return on equity of 13.99%. The company had revenue of $408.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $425.83 million. As a group, equities analysts forecast that EZCORP, Inc. will post 2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Pablo Espinosa sold 10,000 shares of EZCORP stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.54, for a total value of $355,400.00. Following the sale, the director owned 207,543 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,376,078.22. The trade was a 4.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Ellen H. 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 value of $1,043,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 117,786 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,095,419.22. The trade was a 20.30% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 2.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of EZCORP

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Tidal Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of EZCORP by 43.8% in the second quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 59,035 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $2,041,000 after buying an additional 17,986 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in EZCORP in the 2nd quarter worth about $98,000. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new stake in EZCORP in the 2nd quarter worth about $270,000. Raiffeisen Bank International AG bought a new stake in EZCORP in the 2nd quarter valued at about $90,000. Finally, Triumph Capital Management raised its stake in EZCORP by 4.7% in the 2nd quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 14,324 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $495,000 after acquiring an additional 642 shares during the period. 99.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

EZCORP Company Profile

EZCORP, Inc NASDAQ: EZPW is a specialty consumer financial services and retail company focused primarily on pawn operations. Through its pawn stores, the company provides short-term, collateralized loans to consumers who pledge personal property such as jewelry, electronics, tools, and musical instruments.

When customers do not redeem their pledged items, EZCORP sells the merchandise through its retail locations and digital channels. Its stores also purchase pre-owned goods for resale, offering consumers access to a range of previously owned jewelry, electronics, tools, and other products.

Founded in 1989 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, EZCORP serves customers through operations in the United States and Latin America, including Mexico.

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