Lazard Asset Management LLC Purchases 61,613 Shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW)

Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) by 76.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 142,710 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 61,613 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.26% of EZCORP worth $1,742,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in EZPW. Inspire Investing LLC bought a new position in shares of EZCORP during the 4th quarter worth $865,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its position in shares of EZCORP by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 151,628 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,853,000 after buying an additional 6,205 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of EZCORP during the 4th quarter worth $186,000. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of EZCORP by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 341,423 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,172,000 after buying an additional 16,616 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its position in shares of EZCORP by 246.7% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 32,833 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $401,000 after buying an additional 23,363 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.83% of the company’s stock.

EZCORP Trading Up 2.0%

Shares of NASDAQ EZPW opened at $13.96 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $15.06 and a 200 day moving average price of $13.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.91 and a quick ratio of 2.13. EZCORP, Inc. has a 1-year low of $9.66 and a 1-year high of $16.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $768.00 million, a P/E ratio of 12.14 and a beta of 0.59.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The credit services provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.02. EZCORP had a return on equity of 11.04% and a net margin of 7.25%. The company had revenue of $306.32 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $310.35 million. Equities research analysts expect that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on EZPW. StockNews.com raised EZCORP from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $13.50 price objective on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. BTIG Research initiated coverage on EZCORP in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Roth Mkm initiated coverage on EZCORP in a research note on Monday, March 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $16.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Roth Capital set a $16.00 price objective on EZCORP in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, EZCORP currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $17.38.

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.