Wall Street Zen Upgrades EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) to "Strong-Buy"

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded EZCORP from “buy” to “strong-buy”, adding to a generally positive analyst backdrop for the stock.
• EZCORP also reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $0.58 versus the $0.36 consensus estimate on revenue of $434.9 million.
• Shares were trading at $33.54 and the stock has drawn mixed but mostly favorable attention from analysts, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $34.00.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report released on Saturday.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on EZPW. Citizens Jmp boosted their target price on EZCORP from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Citigroup restated an "outperform" rating on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $44.00 price objective on EZCORP in a research report on Friday. Weiss Ratings upgraded EZCORP from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Stephens boosted their price objective on EZCORP from $22.00 to $26.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $34.00.

EZCORP Price Performance

EZCORP stock opened at $33.54 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.23 and a beta of 0.65. EZCORP has a 1 year low of $12.85 and a 1 year high of $37.13. The business has a 50-day moving average of $28.03 and a 200-day moving average of $23.13. The company has a current ratio of 4.71, a quick ratio of 4.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The credit services provider reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $434.90 million during the quarter. EZCORP had a return on equity of 13.45% and a net margin of 9.91%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that EZCORP will post 1.8 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Pablo Lagos Espinosa sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.00, for a total value of $500,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 208,177 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,204,425. The trade was a 8.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Ellen H. Bryant sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.00, for a total value of $500,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 147,786 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,694,650. This represents a 11.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 84,138 shares of company stock valued at $2,102,416 over the last 90 days. 2.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On EZCORP

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in EZCORP in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in EZCORP in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. KBC Group NV bought a new stake in EZCORP in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Covestor Ltd lifted its stake in EZCORP by 239.3% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,728 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 1,924 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG lifted its stake in EZCORP by 533.5% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 2,667 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 2,246 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.83% of the company's stock.

About EZCORP

EZCORP, Inc is a specialty consumer finance company that provides pawn loans and retail merchandise programs primarily through its EZPAWN and Cash Converters brands. The company offers collateral-based loans secured principally by jewelry, electronics, musical instruments and other personal items, alongside check-cashing, money-transfer and bill-payment services. In addition to its pawn lending operations, EZCORP acquires previously pawned or consumer merchandise for resale through its “Sell-It-Now” platform and retail storefronts.

Founded in 1989 and headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, EZCORP operates in two principal geographic markets: the United States and Mexico.

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