EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Sees Large Volume Increase - Should You Buy?

EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) saw strong trading volume on Friday . 553,394 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 12% from the previous session's volume of 630,543 shares.The stock last traded at $16.42 and had previously closed at $16.38.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Roth Mkm assumed coverage on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Monday, March 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $16.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com cut shares of EZCORP from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Roth Capital set a $16.00 price objective on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price objective on shares of EZCORP from $19.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Stephens reissued an "equal weight" rating and issued a $13.50 price target on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, EZCORP currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $16.88.

EZCORP Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 2.13, a current ratio of 2.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company has a market cap of $895.51 million, a PE ratio of 14.17 and a beta of 0.81. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $14.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $13.08.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The credit services provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.01. EZCORP had a return on equity of 11.04% and a net margin of 7.25%. Equities analysts expect that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On EZCORP

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake 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 purchasing an additional 1,554 shares in the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in EZCORP during the 4th quarter worth $122,000. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC acquired a new position in EZCORP during the 4th quarter worth $138,000. LPL Financial LLC grew its stake in EZCORP by 39.3% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 14,430 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $176,000 after purchasing an additional 4,070 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Teza Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of EZCORP by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Teza Capital Management LLC now owns 14,425 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $176,000 after acquiring an additional 896 shares in the last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.