Teacher Retirement System of Texas Increases Holdings in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its holdings in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Free Report) by 25.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 273,211 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 54,595 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas owned about 0.50% of EZCORP worth $3,339,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the third quarter valued at $918,000. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new position in EZCORP during the 3rd quarter valued at about $662,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 449.3% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 333,539 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $3,739,000 after acquiring an additional 272,815 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in shares of EZCORP in the third quarter worth approximately $273,000. Finally, FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 37.8% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 236,747 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $2,654,000 after purchasing an additional 64,926 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.83% of the company's stock.

EZCORP Stock Performance

EZCORP stock traded down $0.32 during trading on Friday, reaching $14.68. The company had a trading volume of 723,880 shares, compared to its average volume of 524,147. The firm has a market capitalization of $806.50 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.77 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a current ratio of 2.91, a quick ratio of 2.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $13.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $12.34. EZCORP, Inc. has a 52 week low of $9.66 and a 52 week high of $15.35.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EZPW has been the topic of several research reports. Roth Capital set a $16.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a report on Monday, March 17th. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price objective on EZCORP from $19.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Roth Mkm started 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. StockNews.com cut EZCORP from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $13.50 price target on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, EZCORP presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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.