Canaccord Genuity Group Issues Positive Forecast for EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Stock Price

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) had its target price raised by analysts at Canaccord Genuity Group from $19.00 to $22.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "buy" rating on the credit services provider's stock. Canaccord Genuity Group's price target suggests a potential upside of 57.59% from the company's previous close.

Separately, Stephens reissued an "equal weight" rating and set a $13.50 target price on shares of EZCORP in a report on Thursday, February 6th.

EZCORP Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:EZPW traded up $0.55 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $13.96. The company had a trading volume of 1,094,366 shares, compared to its average volume of 602,373. The company has a current ratio of 2.91, a quick ratio of 1.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm has a market cap of $760.40 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.14 and a beta of 1.01. The company's 50-day moving average price is $12.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $11.76. EZCORP has a one year low of $9.65 and a one year high of $14.07.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The credit services provider reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.07. EZCORP had a net margin of 7.25% and a return on equity of 11.04%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that EZCORP will post 1.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at EZCORP

In other news, CRO Nicole Swies sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.47, for a total value of $124,700.00. Following the transaction, the executive now owns 101,813 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,269,608.11. This represents a 8.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Sunil Sajnani sold 34,493 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.42, for a total transaction of $428,403.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 66,242 shares of the company's stock, valued at $822,725.64. This trade represents a 34.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.13% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EZPW. Philadelphia Financial Management of San Francisco LLC purchased a new position in EZCORP in the third quarter worth $8,372,000. Royce & Associates LP boosted its position in EZCORP by 77.6% during the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 658,515 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $8,047,000 after buying an additional 287,818 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in EZCORP by 449.3% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 333,539 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $3,739,000 after buying an additional 272,815 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP boosted its position in EZCORP by 25.0% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 1,009,770 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $11,320,000 after buying an additional 201,700 shares during the period. Finally, Invenomic Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in EZCORP during the third quarter valued at about $2,122,000. 99.83% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About EZCORP

EZCORP, Inc provides pawn services in the United States and Latin America. The company operates through three segments: U.S. Pawn, Latin America Pawn, and Other Investments. The company offers pawn loans collateralized by tangible personal property, jewelry, consumer electronics, tools, sporting goods, and musical instruments.