EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Price Target Raised to $22.00

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) had its price objective raised by investment analysts at Canaccord Genuity Group from $19.00 to $22.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the credit services provider’s stock. Canaccord Genuity Group’s target price suggests a potential upside of 64.86% from the stock’s previous close.

Separately, Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $13.50 price objective on shares of EZCORP in a report on Thursday.

EZCORP Price Performance

Shares of EZPW stock traded up $0.99 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $13.35. 1,328,641 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 554,071. EZCORP has a 52 week low of $9.65 and a 52 week high of $13.32. The stock has a market cap of $726.84 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.05 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 1.99. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $12.19 and its 200-day moving average is $11.69.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The credit services provider reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.07. EZCORP had a net margin of 7.15% and a return on equity of 10.65%. As a group, research analysts forecast that EZCORP will post 1.26 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at EZCORP

In other EZCORP news, CRO Nicole Swies sold 10,000 shares of EZCORP stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.47, for a total transaction of $124,700.00. Following the transaction, the executive now directly owns 101,813 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,269,608.11. This trade represents a 8.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Sunil Sajnani sold 34,493 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.42, for a total transaction of $428,403.06. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 66,242 shares in the company, valued at approximately $822,725.64. This trade represents a 34.24 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of EZCORP

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Philadelphia Financial Management of San Francisco LLC purchased a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the 3rd quarter valued at about $8,372,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in EZCORP by 449.3% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 333,539 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,739,000 after purchasing an additional 272,815 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its stake in EZCORP by 25.0% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 1,009,770 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $11,320,000 after buying an additional 201,700 shares during the last quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of EZCORP in the third quarter worth about $2,122,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of EZCORP during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,860,000. Hedge funds and other 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.