EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Sets New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $14.50 and last traded at $14.38, with a volume of 5125 shares. The stock had previously closed at $14.25.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Roth Mkm began coverage on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Monday, March 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $16.00 price target on the stock. Roth Capital set a $16.00 price target on EZCORP in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price objective on EZCORP from $19.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $13.50 price target on shares of EZCORP in a report on Thursday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $16.88.

EZCORP Stock Down 0.1 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $817.49 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.94 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a quick ratio of 2.13, a current ratio of 2.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $13.25 and a two-hundred day moving average of $12.27.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On EZCORP

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in EZCORP during the third quarter valued at approximately $918,000. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of EZCORP during the 3rd quarter worth $662,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 449.3% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of EZCORP in the 3rd quarter valued at $273,000. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its holdings in EZCORP by 37.8% in the third 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 in the last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.