EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Sees Strong Trading Volume on Analyst Upgrade

Shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Friday after Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price target on the stock from $19.00 to $22.00. Canaccord Genuity Group currently has a buy rating on the stock. Approximately 1,000,430 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 89% from the previous session's volume of 529,603 shares.The stock last traded at $13.21 and had previously closed at $12.36.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Sunil Sajnani sold 34,493 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.42, for a total value 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. The trade was a 34.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CRO Nicole Swies sold 10,000 shares of the business'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 transaction of $124,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive now directly owns 101,813 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. State Street Corp raised its stake in EZCORP by 0.3% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,084,777 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $12,160,000 after buying an additional 2,809 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its holdings in shares of 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 last quarter. Philadelphia Financial Management of San Francisco LLC purchased a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the third quarter valued at $8,372,000. Royce & Associates LP grew its holdings in shares of 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 last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 1.8% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 595,870 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $6,683,000 after buying an additional 10,390 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.83% of the company's stock.

EZCORP Stock Up 4.1 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $760.40 million, a PE ratio of 12.14 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.91 and a quick ratio of 1.99. The business's fifty day moving average price is $12.25 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $11.78.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 return on equity of 11.04% and a net margin of 7.25%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.