GSA Capital Partners LLP Acquires 25,354 Shares of EZCORP, Inc. $EZPW

GSA Capital Partners LLP raised its stake in shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) by 71.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 60,748 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 25,354 shares during the quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP owned about 0.10% of EZCORP worth $1,157,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of EZPW. Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings in EZCORP by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 73,064 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,014,000 after buying an additional 648 shares in the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System grew its stake in shares of EZCORP by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 80,959 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,541,000 after buying an additional 860 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS grew its stake in shares of EZCORP by 7.4% in the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 13,362 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $185,000 after buying an additional 926 shares in the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 22,484 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $428,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund raised its position in shares of EZCORP by 9.2% during the 3rd quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 13,013 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $248,000 after buying an additional 1,100 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.83% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at EZCORP

In other news, insider Ellen H. Bryant sold 20,000 shares of EZCORP stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.00, for a total value of $500,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 147,786 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,694,650. This trade represents a 11.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gary Tillett sold 10,000 shares of EZCORP stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.00, for a total value of $250,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 143,483 shares in the company, valued at $3,587,075. This represents a 6.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 54,138 shares of company stock valued at $1,347,416 over the last ninety days. 2.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

EZCORP Price Performance

EZPW opened at $25.13 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $21.57 and a 200 day moving average of $19.06. The stock has a market cap of $1.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.11 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a quick ratio of 4.69, a current ratio of 6.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. EZCORP, Inc. has a 52-week low of $12.85 and a 52-week high of $26.35.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $374.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $363.63 million. EZCORP had a return on equity of 12.37% and a net margin of 9.18%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Zacks Research upgraded EZCORP from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $34.00 target price on EZCORP in a report on Friday, February 6th. Stephens boosted their target price on EZCORP from $22.00 to $26.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and issued a $26.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of EZCORP from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $28.00.

About EZCORP

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.