FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS) Sets New 12-Month High – Here’s Why

FirstCash Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCFS)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $199.52 and last traded at $197.7730, with a volume of 28444 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $196.21.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of FirstCash from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 15th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of FirstCash in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research cut 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 shares of FirstCash in a report on Friday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $177.50.

FirstCash Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $8.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.92 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $177.18 and a 200-day moving average price of $162.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 3.36 and a current ratio of 4.55.

FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $2.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.54 by $0.10. FirstCash had a net margin of 9.02% and a return on equity of 17.99%. The business had revenue of $1.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.12 EPS. FirstCash’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that FirstCash Holdings, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

FirstCash Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at FirstCash

In other news, CFO R Douglas Orr sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.37, for a total value of $701,480.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 111,289 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,516,751.93. The trade was a 3.47% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Thomas Brent Stuart sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were 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 approximately $27,533,920.38. This represents a 6.22% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 30,500 shares of company stock valued at $5,438,945 over the last three months. 2.93% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On FirstCash

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of FCFS. Hsbc Holdings PLC bought a new position in shares of FirstCash during the 4th quarter valued at about $5,476,000. SHP Wealth Management bought a new stake in FirstCash during the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,000. Midway Capital Research & Management acquired a new stake in FirstCash during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,220,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its holdings in FirstCash by 531.7% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 259 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 218 shares during the period. Finally, Villanova Investment Management Co LLC lifted its stake in FirstCash by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Villanova Investment Management Co LLC now owns 12,783 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,037,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. 80.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.