EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Receives Equal Weight Rating from Stephens

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "equal weight" rating reissued by equities research analysts at Stephens in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $13.50 price objective on the credit services provider's stock. Stephens' price objective would indicate a potential upside of 0.52% from the company's current price.

EZCORP Stock Performance

Shares of EZCORP stock remained flat at $13.43 during trading on Thursday. 734,344 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 576,198. The stock has a market capitalization of $731.53 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.68 and a beta of 1.01. EZCORP has a 52-week low of $9.65 and a 52-week high of $13.56. The company's 50 day moving average price is $12.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $11.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 1.99 and a current ratio of 2.91.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The credit services provider reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, equities analysts expect that EZCORP will post 1.26 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at EZCORP

In related news, CRO Nicole Swies sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.47, for a total value of $124,700.00. Following the transaction, the executive now owns 101,813 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,269,608.11. This represents a 8.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Sunil Sajnani sold 34,493 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.42, for a total value of $428,403.06. Following the sale, the insider now owns 66,242 shares in the company, valued at $822,725.64. The trade was a 34.24 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On EZCORP

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in EZCORP by 97.0% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,156 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 1,554 shares in the last quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 11.8% in the 4th quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP now owns 19,800 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $242,000 after acquiring an additional 2,088 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of EZCORP by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,084,777 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $12,160,000 after purchasing an additional 2,809 shares in the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas purchased a new stake in shares of EZCORP in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 304,235 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $3,718,000 after purchasing an additional 5,034 shares during the last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.