Wasatch Advisors LP Sells 979,181 Shares of EZCORP, Inc. $EZPW

Wasatch Advisors LP trimmed its holdings in shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) by 57.8% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 713,934 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 979,181 shares during the quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP’s holdings in EZCORP were worth $18,120,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of EZPW. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP raised its position in shares of EZCORP by 39.5% during the 3rd quarter. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP now owns 138,505 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,637,000 after acquiring an additional 39,195 shares during the last quarter. Miller Global Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of EZCORP in the 4th quarter worth $1,451,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of EZCORP by 163.6% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 483,211 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $9,200,000 after purchasing an additional 299,920 shares during the last quarter. Harbour Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the fourth quarter worth $1,207,000. Finally, L & S Advisors Inc acquired a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the fourth quarter worth $1,939,000. 99.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Citizens Jmp increased their target price on EZCORP from $33.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $40.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings raised EZCORP from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of EZCORP from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Citigroup reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $37.25.

EZCORP Stock Performance

Shares of EZCORP stock opened at $32.52 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.00 billion, a PE ratio of 17.67 and a beta of 0.63. EZCORP, Inc. has a 12 month low of $13.07 and a 12 month high of $37.13. The company has a current ratio of 4.71, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $32.16 and its 200 day simple moving average is $26.62.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The credit services provider reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.22. EZCORP had a return on equity of 13.45% and a net margin of 9.91%.The firm had revenue of $434.90 million during the quarter. On average, research analysts predict that EZCORP, Inc. will post 2 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other EZCORP news, Director Pablo Lagos Espinosa sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.00, for a total transaction of $320,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 217,543 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,961,376. This trade represents a 4.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Jason A. Kulas sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.56, for a total transaction of $671,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 172,948 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,804,134.88. This trade represents a 10.37% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

EZCORP Profile

EZCORP, Inc is a specialty consumer finance company that provides pawn loans and retail merchandise programs primarily through its EZPAWN and Cash Converters brands. The company offers collateral-based loans secured principally by jewelry, electronics, musical instruments and other personal items, alongside check-cashing, money-transfer and bill-payment services. In addition to its pawn lending operations, EZCORP acquires previously pawned or consumer merchandise for resale through its “Sell-It-Now” platform and retail storefronts.

Founded in 1989 and headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, EZCORP operates in two principal geographic markets: the United States and Mexico.