Short Interest in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) Declines By 15.6%

EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 10,230,637 shares, a decrease of 15.6% from the March 15th total of 12,116,170 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 756,454 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 13.5 days. Currently, 16.9% of the company’s shares are short sold.

EZCORP Stock Performance

Shares of EZPW stock traded up $0.55 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $30.54. The stock had a trading volume of 459,117 shares, compared to its average volume of 761,264. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $26.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $21.95. The company has a quick ratio of 4.69, a current ratio of 6.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. EZCORP has a one year low of $12.85 and a one year high of $30.87. The firm has a market cap of $1.88 billion, a PE ratio of 19.58 and a beta of 0.52.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $374.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $363.63 million. EZCORP had a return on equity of 12.37% and a net margin of 9.18%. On average, analysts forecast that EZCORP will post 1.3 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other EZCORP news, insider Ellen H. Bryant sold 20,000 shares of EZCORP stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.00, for a total transaction of $500,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 147,786 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,694,650. The trade was a 11.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gary Tillett sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.50, for a total transaction of $255,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 133,483 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,403,816.50. This trade represents a 6.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 84,138 shares of company stock worth $2,102,416. Company insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On EZCORP

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in EZCORP by 11.4% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,610,029 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $68,735,000 after buying an additional 369,817 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in EZCORP by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,563,724 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $69,209,000 after buying an additional 84,566 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its holdings in EZCORP by 47.5% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 3,167,748 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $61,518,000 after buying an additional 1,019,622 shares during the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP grew its position in shares of EZCORP by 5.4% during the 2nd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 2,321,138 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $32,217,000 after buying an additional 118,641 shares during the period. Finally, Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in shares of EZCORP by 28.5% in the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,975,421 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $37,612,000 after acquiring an additional 437,601 shares during the last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings raised EZCORP from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price target on EZCORP from $34.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Citigroup reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Citizens Jmp boosted their target price on shares of EZCORP from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $26.00 price target on shares of EZCORP in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, EZCORP presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $29.50.

EZCORP Company Profile

EZCORP, Inc is a specialty consumer finance company that provides pawn loans and retail merchandise programs primarily through its EZPAWN and Cash Converters brands. The company offers collateral-based loans secured principally by jewelry, electronics, musical instruments and other personal items, alongside check-cashing, money-transfer and bill-payment services. In addition to its pawn lending operations, EZCORP acquires previously pawned or consumer merchandise for resale through its “Sell-It-Now” platform and retail storefronts.

Founded in 1989 and headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, EZCORP operates in two principal geographic markets: the United States and Mexico.