EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Stock Price Up 3.4% - Here's What Happened

EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) shares traded up 3.4% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $15.76 and last traded at $15.85. Approximately 1,349,430 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 139% from the average session volume of 564,892 shares. The stock had previously closed at $15.32.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on EZPW. Roth Mkm assumed coverage on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Monday, March 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $16.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com downgraded EZCORP from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Stephens reiterated an "equal weight" rating and set a $13.50 target price on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Roth Capital set a $16.00 price target on EZCORP in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Finally, 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $16.88.

EZCORP Trading Down 1.6 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $837.82 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.26 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 2.13 and a current ratio of 2.91. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $13.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $12.58.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The credit services provider reported $0.42 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%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC raised its stake in shares of EZCORP by 18.4% in the 4th quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC now owns 2,002,197 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $24,467,000 after acquiring an additional 310,706 shares during the period. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP increased its holdings in EZCORP by 1,699.2% in the 4th quarter. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP now owns 1,246,445 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $15,232,000 after purchasing an additional 1,177,166 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its position in EZCORP by 23.9% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,195,784 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $14,612,000 after purchasing an additional 231,018 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of EZCORP by 0.3% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,084,777 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $12,160,000 after purchasing an additional 2,809 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP boosted its position in shares of EZCORP by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 1,022,570 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $12,496,000 after buying an additional 12,800 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.83% of the company's stock.

EZCORP Company Profile

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.