StockNews.com Downgrades EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) to Hold

StockNews.com cut shares of EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Saturday.

Several other brokerages also recently issued reports on EZPW. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $13.50 price target on shares of EZCORP in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Roth Mkm began coverage on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Monday, March 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $16.00 target price for the company. Roth Capital set a $16.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price target on shares of EZCORP from $19.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $16.88.

EZCORP Stock Up 0.3 %

EZCORP stock opened at $14.72 on Friday. 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 fifty day moving average price is $13.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $12.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $808.70 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.80 and a beta of 0.89. EZCORP has a 1-year low of $9.66 and a 1-year high of $15.35.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The credit services provider reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.07. EZCORP had a net margin of 7.25% and a return on equity of 11.04%. On average, equities research analysts predict that EZCORP will post 1.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On EZCORP

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of EZCORP in the 3rd quarter worth about $662,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in EZCORP by 449.3% in the third 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 purchased a new position in EZCORP in the third quarter valued at about $273,000. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of EZCORP by 37.8% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 236,747 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,654,000 after acquiring an additional 64,926 shares during the period. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP increased its stake in shares of EZCORP by 67.3% during the 3rd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 48,802 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $547,000 after purchasing an additional 19,632 shares during the last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.