EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Stock Price Down 7.3% – Time to Sell?

EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) shares dropped 7.3% on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $30.36 and last traded at $29.95. 304,528 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 67% from the average session volume of 922,856 shares. The stock had previously closed at $32.30.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on EZPW shares. Weiss Ratings cut shares of EZCORP from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Zacks Research cut shares of EZCORP from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on EZCORP from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered EZCORP from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, EZCORP currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $38.80.

EZCORP Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.87 billion, a PE ratio of 15.37 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 4.81 and a quick ratio of 3.45. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $31.44 and its 200-day moving average price is $30.61.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The credit services provider reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $408.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $425.83 million. EZCORP had a net margin of 9.97% and a return on equity of 13.99%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that EZCORP, Inc. will post 2 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Pablo Espinosa sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.54, for a total value of $355,400.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 207,543 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,376,078.22. This represents a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Ellen Bryant sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.77, for a total value of $1,043,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 117,786 shares in the company, valued at $4,095,419.22. This trade represents a 20.30% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 2.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On EZCORP

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EZPW. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its stake in EZCORP by 47.5% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 3,167,748 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $61,518,000 after purchasing an additional 1,019,622 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 89.2% in the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 785,131 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $15,247,000 after purchasing an additional 370,103 shares in the last quarter. Penn Capital Management Company LLC increased its position in shares of EZCORP by 233.0% during the 4th quarter. Penn Capital Management Company LLC now owns 495,962 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $9,639,000 after purchasing an additional 347,021 shares during the last quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of EZCORP during the 2nd quarter valued at about $6,452,000. Finally, Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC raised its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 634.5% during the 1st quarter. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC now owns 189,239 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $4,803,000 after buying an additional 163,476 shares in the last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

EZCORP Company Profile

EZCORP, Inc (NASDAQ: EZPW) is a specialty consumer financial services and retail company focused primarily on pawn operations. Through its pawn stores, the company provides short-term, collateralized loans to consumers who pledge personal property such as jewelry, electronics, tools, and musical instruments.

When customers do not redeem their pledged items, EZCORP sells the merchandise through its retail locations and digital channels. Its stores also purchase pre-owned goods for resale, offering consumers access to a range of previously owned jewelry, electronics, tools, and other products.

Founded in 1989 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, EZCORP serves customers through operations in the United States and Latin America, including Mexico.