EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $24.00.

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Citizens Jmp boosted their target price on EZCORP from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. JMP Securities set a $23.00 price target on EZCORP in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Citigroup restated an “outperform” rating on shares of EZCORP in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and set a $26.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th.

EZCORP Trading Down 3.0%

NASDAQ EZPW opened at $21.13 on Monday. EZCORP has a 52 week low of $11.60 and a 52 week high of $22.11. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $20.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $17.90. The company has a quick ratio of 4.37, a current ratio of 5.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The firm has a market cap of $1.29 billion, a PE ratio of 14.99 and a beta of 0.55.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The credit services provider reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $335.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $325.09 million. EZCORP had a net margin of 8.60% and a return on equity of 12.00%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that EZCORP will post 1.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On EZCORP

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EZPW. Almanack Investment Partners LLC. purchased a new position in shares of EZCORP in the second quarter worth about $476,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd increased its holdings in EZCORP by 398.4% in the 2nd quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 68,293 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $948,000 after buying an additional 54,590 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd. purchased a new position in EZCORP during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $168,000. Amitell Capital Pte Ltd acquired a new stake in EZCORP during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $3,668,000. Finally, Fourth Sail Capital LP lifted its stake in EZCORP by 30.7% during the 2nd quarter. Fourth Sail Capital LP now owns 1,251,362 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $17,369,000 after acquiring an additional 294,100 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.83% of the company’s stock.

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.