EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Cut to Hold at StockNews.com

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) was downgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Saturday.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price on EZCORP from $19.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Roth Capital set a $16.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a report on Monday, March 17th. Roth Mkm started coverage on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Monday, March 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $16.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $13.50 target price on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Two investment 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $16.88.

EZCORP Stock Performance

NASDAQ:EZPW opened at $14.68 on Friday. 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 capitalization of $806.50 million, a PE ratio of 12.77 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $13.41 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $12.33. EZCORP has a fifty-two week low of $9.66 and a fifty-two week high of $15.35.

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 the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.07. EZCORP had a net margin of 7.25% and a return on equity of 11.04%. Research analysts anticipate that EZCORP will post 1.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On EZCORP

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 97.0% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,156 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 1,554 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in EZCORP in the fourth quarter worth $122,000. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the 4th quarter valued at about $138,000. LPL Financial LLC boosted its position in EZCORP by 39.3% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 14,430 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $176,000 after acquiring an additional 4,070 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Teza Capital Management LLC grew 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 worth $176,000 after purchasing an additional 896 shares during the period. 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.