EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Shares Up 6.3%

EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) shares rose 6.3% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $11.20 and last traded at $11.15. Approximately 63,782 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 88% from the average daily volume of 521,930 shares. The stock had previously closed at $10.49.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their target price on EZCORP from $18.00 to $17.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 3rd.

EZCORP Trading Up 5.9 %

The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $10.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $10.30. The stock has a market cap of $610.38 million, a P/E ratio of 10.09 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a current ratio of 4.17, a quick ratio of 3.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.04. EZCORP had a net margin of 6.87% and a return on equity of 10.73%. The business had revenue of $285.64 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $287.59 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.23 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at EZCORP

In related news, Director Matthew W. Appel sold 26,490 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.32, for a total value of $273,376.80. Following the transaction, the director now owns 138,684 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,431,218.88. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 2.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On EZCORP

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EZPW. Natixis Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in EZCORP during the 2nd quarter valued at $265,000. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the second quarter valued at $71,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in EZCORP by 44.4% in the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,460,564 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $15,292,000 after buying an additional 449,360 shares in the last quarter. ARS Investment Partners LLC raised its position in EZCORP by 12.7% in the 2nd quarter. ARS Investment Partners LLC now owns 16,874 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $177,000 after buying an additional 1,899 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners lifted its stake in EZCORP by 59.5% during the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 843,105 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $9,553,000 after acquiring an additional 314,435 shares during the period. 99.83% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About EZCORP

EZCORP, Inc provides pawn services in the United States and Latin America. The company operates through three segments: U.S. Pawn, Latin America Pawn, and Other Investments. The company offers pawn loans collateralized by tangible personal property, jewelry, consumer electronics, tools, sporting goods, and musical instruments.