Penn Capital Management Company LLC Raises Stock Position in EZCORP, Inc. $EZPW

Penn Capital Management Company LLC grew its holdings in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) by 233.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 495,962 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 347,021 shares during the period. Penn Capital Management Company LLC’s holdings in EZCORP were worth $9,639,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in shares of EZCORP by 23.6% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 19,375 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $286,000 after purchasing an additional 3,705 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of EZCORP during the 1st quarter worth about $1,646,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of EZCORP by 47.9% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 183,291 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,544,000 after purchasing an additional 59,339 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its stake in shares of EZCORP by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 73,064 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,014,000 after purchasing an additional 648 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new position in shares of EZCORP during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,718,000. Institutional investors own 99.83% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at EZCORP

In other news, Director Jason A. Kulas sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.56, for a total value of $671,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 172,948 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,804,134.88. The trade was a 10.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

EZCORP Trading Up 2.5%

Shares of EZPW opened at $34.62 on Wednesday. EZCORP, Inc. has a 1-year low of $12.85 and a 1-year high of $37.13. The company has a 50-day moving average of $29.92 and a 200 day moving average of $24.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.82 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 4.71 and a quick ratio of 3.52.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $44.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of EZCORP from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Zacks Research raised shares of EZCORP from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $40.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $37.25.

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.