EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) Short Interest Update

EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 8,230,000 shares, an increase of 6.7% from the May 31st total of 7,710,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 538,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 15.3 days. Currently, 16.5% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

EZCORP Stock Performance

Shares of EZPW opened at $10.25 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $10.35 and a two-hundred day moving average of $10.11. The stock has a market cap of $563.14 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.86 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 4.17 and a quick ratio of 3.23. EZCORP has a one year low of $7.70 and a one year high of $11.52.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.04. EZCORP had a net margin of 7.05% and a return on equity of 10.55%. The firm had revenue of $285.64 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $287.59 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.23 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that EZCORP will post 1.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on EZPW shares. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their price target on shares of EZCORP from $18.00 to $17.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. StockNews.com lowered EZCORP from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 29th.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Matthew W. Appel sold 26,490 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.32, for a total value of $273,376.80. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 138,684 shares in the company, valued at $1,431,218.88. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 2.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in EZCORP by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,313,154 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $37,697,000 after acquiring an additional 17,975 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in EZCORP by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,301,392 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $37,405,000 after buying an additional 34,821 shares during the period. Wasatch Advisors LP increased its stake in EZCORP by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 2,593,128 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $29,380,000 after buying an additional 60,329 shares during the period. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC lifted its position in EZCORP by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 2,510,414 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $21,941,000 after buying an additional 118,599 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Heartland Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of EZCORP by 11.0% during the 4th quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. now owns 1,118,450 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $9,775,000 after buying an additional 110,650 shares during the period. 99.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.