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

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on EZPW shares. Roth Capital set a $16.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Roth Mkm started coverage on EZCORP in a research report on Monday, March 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $16.00 price objective for the company. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $13.50 target price on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price target on EZCORP from $19.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of EZCORP from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $16.88.

EZCORP Stock Down 3.5 %

The company has a 50-day moving average of $13.70 and a two-hundred day moving average of $12.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.91 and a quick ratio of 2.13. The company has a market capitalization of $836.72 million, a PE ratio of 13.24 and a beta of 0.81.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The credit services provider reported $0.42 earnings per share 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%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of EZCORP

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Inspire Investing LLC purchased a new stake in EZCORP in the 4th quarter worth $865,000. Barclays PLC grew its position in shares of EZCORP by 11.3% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 92,166 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,033,000 after purchasing an additional 9,328 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its stake in EZCORP by 37.8% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 236,747 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,654,000 after purchasing an additional 64,926 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in EZCORP during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,860,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in EZCORP by 107.2% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 37,439 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $428,000 after purchasing an additional 19,368 shares in the last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is currently owned by 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.