Fourth Sail Capital LP Lowers Holdings in EZCORP, Inc. $EZPW

Fourth Sail Capital LP decreased its stake in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) by 26.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 868,717 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 309,280 shares during the quarter. EZCORP makes up 2.7% of Fourth Sail Capital LP’s holdings, making the stock its 20th largest position. Fourth Sail Capital LP’s holdings in EZCORP were worth $16,870,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its stake in shares of EZCORP by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 52,660 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,024,000 after buying an additional 5,178 shares during the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp purchased a new stake in shares of EZCORP in the fourth quarter worth about $249,000. Arkadios Wealth Advisors boosted its stake in shares of EZCORP by 14.6% in the fourth quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 15,757 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $306,000 after buying an additional 2,007 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of EZCORP by 19.4% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 16,619 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $323,000 after buying an additional 2,697 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of EZCORP by 12.3% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 707,417 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $13,738,000 after buying an additional 77,486 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.83% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on EZPW shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded EZCORP from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and issued a $40.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings upgraded EZCORP from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Citizens Jmp upped their target price on EZCORP from $33.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Citigroup restated 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 given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, EZCORP presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $37.25.

Insider Activity at EZCORP

In other news, Director Jason A. Kulas sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.56, for a total value of $671,200.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 172,948 shares in the company, valued at $5,804,134.88. This trade represents a 10.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, 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 value of $320,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 217,543 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,961,376. This trade represents a 4.39% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

EZCORP Stock Performance

Shares of EZPW stock opened at $31.25 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.98 and a beta of 0.63. The business’s 50 day moving average is $31.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $25.74. The company has a current ratio of 4.71, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. EZCORP, Inc. has a 12-month low of $12.85 and a 12-month high of $37.13.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The credit services provider reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $434.90 million for the quarter. EZCORP had a return on equity of 13.45% and a net margin of 9.91%. Analysts expect that EZCORP, Inc. will post 2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

EZCORP Company 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.