EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Trading Up 3.4% – Here’s What Happened

EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) shot up 3.4% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $15.76 and last traded at $15.85. 1,349,430 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 139% from the average session volume of 564,892 shares. The stock had previously closed at $15.32.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Roth Capital set a $16.00 price objective on shares of EZCORP in a report on Monday, March 17th. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price on shares of EZCORP from $19.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $13.50 price target on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Roth Mkm assumed coverage on EZCORP in a report on Monday, March 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $16.00 price objective for the company. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded EZCORP from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $16.88.

EZCORP Stock Performance

The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $13.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $12.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 2.13 and a current ratio of 2.91. The stock has a market cap of $866.94 million, a PE ratio of 13.72 and a beta of 0.81.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The credit services provider reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.07. EZCORP had a return on equity of 11.04% and a net margin of 7.25%. Analysts expect that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On EZCORP

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Mackenzie Financial Corp bought a new stake in EZCORP in the fourth quarter worth about $465,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in shares of EZCORP by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 92,641 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,132,000 after purchasing an additional 5,524 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 1,022,570 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $12,496,000 after purchasing an additional 12,800 shares during the period. Teza Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in EZCORP by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. Teza Capital Management LLC now owns 14,425 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $176,000 after purchasing an additional 896 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC bought a new position in EZCORP during the fourth quarter valued at $138,000. Institutional investors own 99.83% of the company’s stock.

EZCORP Company Profile

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.