EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Downgraded by StockNews.com to “Hold”

StockNews.com cut shares of EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Tuesday.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on EZPW. Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $13.50 target price on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Roth Capital set a $16.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their target price on shares of EZCORP from $19.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Roth Mkm started coverage on shares of EZCORP in a report on Monday, March 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $16.00 price target on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $16.88.

EZCORP Stock Up 2.4 %

EZCORP stock opened at $15.49 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $851.01 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.47 and a beta of 0.81. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $14.07 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $12.66. EZCORP has a 1-year low of $9.66 and a 1-year high of $16.35. The company has a current ratio of 2.91, a quick ratio of 2.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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%. On average, equities research analysts predict that EZCORP will post 1.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On EZCORP

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in EZPW. Inspire Investing LLC purchased a new stake in EZCORP during the fourth quarter worth about $865,000. Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of EZCORP by 11.3% during the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of EZCORP in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,860,000. FMR LLC raised its holdings 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 lifted its stake in EZCORP by 107.2% in the third 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 during the last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is currently owned by 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.