EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Reaches New 12-Month High After Strong Earnings

EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The company traded as high as $12.85 and last traded at $12.70, with a volume of 1073578 shares. The stock had previously closed at $12.24.

The credit services provider reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.07. EZCORP had a net margin of 7.15% and a return on equity of 10.65%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EZPW has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price target on shares of EZCORP from $19.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $13.50 target price on shares of EZCORP in a report on Thursday.

Insider Transactions at EZCORP

In other news, insider Sunil Sajnani sold 34,493 shares of the company’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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $822,725.64. This represents a 34.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CRO Nicole Swies sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.47, for a total transaction of $124,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive now owns 101,813 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,269,608.11. This trade represents a 8.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C. boosted its position in EZCORP by 32.5% in the 4th quarter. Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C. now owns 271,393 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,316,000 after buying an additional 66,528 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the 4th quarter valued at $1,860,000. Aigen Investment Management LP increased its stake 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 valued at $242,000 after acquiring an additional 2,088 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 343,445 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $4,197,000 after buying an additional 9,906 shares during the period. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 47.5% during the 4th quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 19,753 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 6,360 shares in the last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

EZCORP Stock Up 8.7 %

The firm’s 50-day moving average is $12.19 and its 200 day moving average is $11.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $731.46 million, a P/E ratio of 12.10 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 1.99 and a current ratio of 2.71.

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.