EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Shares Up 4.6% - Time to Buy?

Shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) shot up 4.6% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $14.00 and last traded at $14.03. 656,174 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 12% from the average session volume of 583,292 shares. The stock had previously closed at $13.41.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on EZPW. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price target on shares of EZCORP from $19.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Stephens reissued an "equal weight" rating and set a $13.50 price target on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Thursday, February 6th.

EZCORP Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $765.23 million, a PE ratio of 12.22 and a beta of 1.01. The firm's fifty day moving average is $12.35 and its 200-day moving average is $11.85. The company has a current ratio of 2.91, a quick ratio of 1.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The credit services provider reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, research analysts anticipate that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at EZCORP

In related news, CRO Nicole Swies sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.47, for a total value of $124,700.00. Following the sale, the executive now directly owns 101,813 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,269,608.11. The trade was a 8.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Sunil Sajnani sold 34,493 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.42, for a total transaction of $428,403.06. Following the sale, the insider now owns 66,242 shares in the company, 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. 2.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of EZCORP

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Inspire Investing LLC purchased a new stake in EZCORP during the fourth quarter worth about $865,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP increased its stake in EZCORP by 161.0% during the third quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 132,972 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,491,000 after purchasing an additional 82,025 shares during the period. Invenomic Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in EZCORP during the third quarter worth about $2,122,000. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in EZCORP during the third quarter worth about $662,000. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its stake in EZCORP by 11.3% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 92,166 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,033,000 after purchasing an additional 9,328 shares during the period. 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.