O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Takes Position in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 16,119 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $197,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EZPW. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 97.0% in 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 during the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in EZCORP in the fourth quarter worth $122,000. LPL Financial LLC lifted its stake in EZCORP by 39.3% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 14,430 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $176,000 after buying an additional 4,070 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of EZCORP during the fourth quarter valued at $186,000. Finally, Fox Run Management L.L.C. bought a new position in shares of EZCORP during the fourth quarter worth about $188,000. Institutional investors own 99.83% of the company's stock.

EZCORP Price Performance

EZPW traded up $0.13 during trading on Friday, reaching $15.93. The stock had a trading volume of 1,170,979 shares, compared to its average volume of 605,255. EZCORP, Inc. has a 1-year low of $9.66 and a 1-year high of $16.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $875.18 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.85 and a beta of 0.81. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $14.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $12.79. The company has a quick ratio of 2.13, a current ratio of 2.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 anticipate that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EZPW has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Roth Capital set a $16.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Roth Mkm began coverage on EZCORP in a research report on Monday, March 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $16.00 price objective for the company. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their target price on EZCORP from $19.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Stephens reiterated an "equal weight" rating and set a $13.50 price target on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered EZCORP from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $16.88.

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.