EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Lowered to Hold Rating by StockNews.com

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

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

EZCORP Price Performance

NASDAQ EZPW opened at $14.68 on Friday. EZCORP has a one year low of $9.66 and a one year high of $15.35. 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 stock has a 50-day moving average of $13.41 and a 200 day moving average of $12.33. The company has a market capitalization of $806.50 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.77 and a beta of 0.89.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The credit services provider reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.07. EZCORP had a net margin of 7.25% and a return on equity of 11.04%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that EZCORP will post 1.3 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On EZCORP

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake 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 acquiring an additional 1,554 shares during the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in EZCORP in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $122,000. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC bought a new position in EZCORP during the 4th quarter worth approximately $138,000. LPL Financial LLC grew its stake in EZCORP by 39.3% in the fourth 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 during the period. Finally, Teza Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in EZCORP by 6.6% in the 4th 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 owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.