EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Sets New 52-Week High – Here’s What Happened

Shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $16.35 and last traded at $15.30, with a volume of 2291341 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $14.72.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

EZCORP Stock Performance

The business has a 50 day moving average price of $13.46 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $12.37. 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 company has a market cap of $849.63 million, a P/E ratio of 13.52 and a beta of 0.89.

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, 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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of EZCORP

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Inspire Investing LLC purchased a new stake in EZCORP in the 4th quarter worth approximately $865,000. Invenomic Capital Management LP bought a new stake in EZCORP in the third quarter valued at $2,122,000. Barclays PLC increased its position in EZCORP by 11.3% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 92,166 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,033,000 after purchasing an additional 9,328 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of EZCORP by 37.8% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 236,747 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,654,000 after purchasing an additional 64,926 shares during the period. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of EZCORP by 107.2% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 37,439 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $428,000 after purchasing an additional 19,368 shares in the last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.