EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Sets New 52-Week High After Strong Earnings

EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report)'s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The company traded as high as $12.85 and last traded at $12.70, with a volume of 1073578 shares. The stock had previously closed at $12.24.

The credit services provider reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.07. EZCORP had a return on equity of 11.04% and a net margin of 7.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on EZPW. Stephens reiterated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $13.50 price objective on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Thursday. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price objective on EZCORP from $19.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday.

Insider Activity at EZCORP

In other EZCORP news, insider Sunil Sajnani sold 34,493 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 represents a 34.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CRO Nicole Swies sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.47, for a total value of $124,700.00. Following the transaction, the executive now directly owns 101,813 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,269,608.11. This trade represents a 8.94 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On EZCORP

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in EZCORP by 97.0% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,156 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 1,554 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC bought a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $106,000. nVerses Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of EZCORP by 640.0% during the 3rd quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 11,100 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $124,000 after purchasing an additional 9,600 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR bought a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $138,000. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $150,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.83% of the company's stock.

EZCORP Trading Down 0.1 %

The company has a market cap of $730.44 million, a P/E ratio of 11.66 and a beta of 1.01. 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 business has a 50 day moving average price of $12.22 and a 200-day moving average price of $11.76.

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.