Raymond James Financial Inc. Purchases Shares of 152,250 EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW)

Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 152,250 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,860,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned 0.28% of EZCORP at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in EZCORP by 97.0% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,156 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 1,554 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of EZCORP in the fourth quarter worth $186,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in shares of EZCORP in the fourth quarter worth $210,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 47.5% during the fourth quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 19,753 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $241,000 after acquiring an additional 6,360 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aigen Investment Management LP boosted its position in EZCORP by 11.8% during the fourth quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP now owns 19,800 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $242,000 after purchasing an additional 2,088 shares during the last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

EZCORP Stock Performance

Shares of EZPW traded down $0.55 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $15.23. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,731,025 shares, compared to its average volume of 577,926. The stock's 50-day moving average is $13.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $12.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $836.72 million, a PE ratio of 13.24 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. EZCORP, Inc. has a one year low of $9.66 and a one year high of $16.35.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The credit services provider reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, beating 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on EZPW shares. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price target on shares of EZCORP from $19.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Roth Mkm assumed coverage on EZCORP in a research note on Monday, March 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $16.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com cut EZCORP from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 29th. Roth Capital set a $16.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Stephens restated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $13.50 price objective on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $16.88.

EZCORP 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.