EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) issued its earnings results on Thursday. The credit services provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.05, FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $335.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $325.09 million. EZCORP had a return on equity of 11.85% and a net margin of 7.96%.

EZCORP Price Performance

EZCORP stock traded up $0.24 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $17.65. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 484,292 shares, compared to its average volume of 932,742. EZCORP has a 12 month low of $11.54 and a 12 month high of $19.44. The company has a quick ratio of 5.00, a current ratio of 6.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The company has a market capitalization of $1.07 billion, a PE ratio of 13.80 and a beta of 0.58. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $18.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $15.67.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Friday. Citizens Jmp initiated coverage on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. They set a “market outperform” rating and a $23.00 price objective on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their target price on EZCORP from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 6th. JMP Securities set a $23.00 price target on EZCORP in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $20.33.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Matthew W. Appel sold 9,038 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.02, for a total value of $162,864.76. Following the sale, the director directly owned 133,371 shares in the company, valued at $2,403,345.42. The trade was a 6.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 2.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On EZCORP

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wasatch Advisors LP raised its holdings in EZCORP by 5.4% during the 2nd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 2,321,138 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $32,217,000 after buying an additional 118,641 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of EZCORP by 8.6% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,246,427 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $23,732,000 after acquiring an additional 99,059 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP raised its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 10.1% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 1,144,852 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $21,798,000 after acquiring an additional 105,288 shares during the period. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd lifted its position in shares of EZCORP by 70.2% in the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 1,063,677 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $14,764,000 after acquiring an additional 438,542 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in shares of EZCORP by 24.2% in the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 609,652 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $11,608,000 after acquiring an additional 118,738 shares in 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.