FirstCash Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCFS) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

FirstCash Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCFS) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $199.25.

A number of research firms recently issued reports on FCFS. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price objective on shares of FirstCash from $242.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Zacks Research lowered shares of FirstCash from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Weiss Ratings cut shares of FirstCash from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Friday. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of FirstCash from $235.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut FirstCash from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, May 10th.

FirstCash Stock Performance

FirstCash stock opened at $195.06 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 3.51, a current ratio of 4.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The stock has a market cap of $8.55 billion, a PE ratio of 22.27 and a beta of 0.53. FirstCash has a 12-month low of $119.21 and a 12-month high of $235.97. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $219.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $201.35.

FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $2.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.39 by $0.11. FirstCash had a net margin of 9.42% and a return on equity of 19.65%. The firm had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.34 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 29.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that FirstCash will post 11.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

FirstCash Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. FirstCash’s payout ratio is currently 19.18%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other FirstCash news, COO Thomas Brent Stuart sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total value of $2,284,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 140,846 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,181,902.54. This trade represents a 6.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO R Douglas Orr sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.29, for a total value of $454,580.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 35,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,121,980.86. This represents a 5.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 27,500 shares of company stock worth $6,243,104. Company insiders own 2.86% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of FirstCash during the first quarter valued at $26,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of FirstCash in the first quarter worth $29,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its stake in shares of FirstCash by 490.9% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 195 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. High Point Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in FirstCash in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. increased its holdings in FirstCash by 113.2% in the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.30% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting FirstCash

Here are the key news stories impacting FirstCash this week:

• Positive Sentiment: FirstCash posted record second-quarter results, with EPS of $2.50 beating estimates of $2.39 and revenue of $1.07 billion topping the $1.03 billion consensus. Management also said pawn demand helped drive a 58% increase in GAAP EPS and a 40% increase in adjusted EPS. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.42 per share, signaling continued cash generation and shareholder returns. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: FirstCash also authorized a new $150 million share repurchase plan after completing its prior program, which can support earnings per share and investor confidence. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data showed no meaningful short position reported, so it does not add a clear new catalyst for the shares.

FirstCash Company Profile

FirstCash, Inc (NASDAQ: FCFS) is a leading integrated operator of pawn stores and provider of short-term consumer loan services in the United States and Mexico. Through its retail pawn outlets, FirstCash offers collateral-based loans secured by personal property, enabling customers to access liquidity without a credit history or traditional bank account. The company also purchases, trades and sells a broad range of secondhand merchandise, including electronics, jewelry and power tools, through its network of conveniently located stores.

In addition to its pawn-broking activities, FirstCash provides unsecured consumer loans designed to meet urgent cash needs.