FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS) Reaches New 52-Week High – What’s Next?

Shares of FirstCash Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCFS) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $188.95 and last traded at $187.88, with a volume of 11667 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $186.12.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FCFS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of FirstCash in a research report on Monday, December 29th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of FirstCash in a report on Friday, October 31st. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of FirstCash from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, February 15th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of FirstCash from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group set a $217.00 target price on FirstCash in a research note on Friday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, FirstCash currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $177.50.

FirstCash Trading Up 1.9%

The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $172.04 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $159.64. The company has a quick ratio of 3.36, a current ratio of 4.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The company has a market capitalization of $8.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.98 and a beta of 0.49.

FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $2.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.54 by $0.10. FirstCash had a net margin of 9.02% and a return on equity of 17.99%. The firm had revenue of $1.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.12 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that FirstCash Holdings, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

FirstCash Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th were paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 18th. FirstCash’s payout ratio is presently 22.64%.

Insider Transactions at FirstCash

In related news, COO Thomas Brent Stuart sold 10,000 shares of FirstCash stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.53, for a total transaction of $1,825,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 150,846 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,533,920.38. The trade was a 6.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Howard F. Hambleton sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.12, for a total transaction of $740,480.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 35,406 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,554,358.72. This trade represents a 10.15% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 30,500 shares of company stock worth $5,438,945 over the last three months. 2.93% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On FirstCash

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in FirstCash by 4.7% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 22,946 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,761,000 after acquiring an additional 1,021 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of FirstCash by 9.7% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 389,509 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,866,000 after purchasing an additional 34,364 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its holdings in FirstCash by 237.2% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 62,057 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,467,000 after buying an additional 43,653 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in FirstCash by 0.5% during the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 16,937 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,289,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the period. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in shares of FirstCash during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $392,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.30% of the company’s stock.

FirstCash Company Profile

FirstCash, Inc (NASDAQ: FCFS) is a leading integrated operator of pawn stores and provider of short-term consumer loan services in the United States and Mexico. Through its retail pawn outlets, FirstCash offers collateral-based loans secured by personal property, enabling customers to access liquidity without a credit history or traditional bank account. The company also purchases, trades and sells a broad range of secondhand merchandise, including electronics, jewelry and power tools, through its network of conveniently located stores.

In addition to its pawn-broking activities, FirstCash provides unsecured consumer loans designed to meet urgent cash needs.