EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Stock Rating Lowered by Zacks Research

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) was downgraded by research analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Citizens Jmp increased their target price on shares of EZCORP from $33.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Roth Capital reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $40.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a report on Friday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of EZCORP from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, June 27th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on EZCORP from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (a-)” rating on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $38.80.

EZCORP Stock Down 9.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:EZPW opened at $32.16 on Tuesday. EZCORP has a 1-year low of $13.07 and a 1-year high of $37.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 4.71 and a quick ratio of 3.52. The stock has a market cap of $1.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.48 and a beta of 0.64. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $32.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $27.46.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at EZCORP

In related news, Director Pablo Lagos Espinosa sold 10,000 shares of the company’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 sale, the director owned 217,543 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,961,376. This represents a 4.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Jason A. Kulas sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.56, for a total transaction of $671,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 172,948 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,804,134.88. This represents a 10.37% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On EZCORP

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC acquired a new position in EZCORP during the 2nd quarter worth $31,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of EZCORP in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. KBC Group NV acquired a new position in shares of EZCORP during the 1st quarter worth about $44,000. Deutsche Bank AG increased its position in EZCORP by 533.5% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 2,667 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 2,246 shares during the period. Finally, CWM LLC grew its stake in shares of EZCORP by 21.2% in the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,146 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $81,000 after acquiring an additional 724 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.