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

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

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

EZCORP Trading Up 1.8 %

EZPW stock opened at $15.50 on Tuesday. EZCORP has a twelve month low of $9.66 and a twelve month high of $16.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $851.55 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.48 and a beta of 0.81. 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’s fifty day simple moving average is $13.76 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $12.53.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last issued 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, analysts anticipate that EZCORP will post 1.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On EZCORP

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of EZPW. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of EZCORP by 97.0% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,156 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 1,554 shares in the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in EZCORP in the fourth quarter worth about $122,000. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC bought a new position in EZCORP during the 4th quarter worth about $138,000. Teza Capital Management LLC increased its position in EZCORP by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Teza Capital Management LLC now owns 14,425 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $176,000 after purchasing an additional 896 shares during the period. Finally, LPL Financial LLC increased its position in EZCORP by 39.3% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 14,430 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $176,000 after purchasing an additional 4,070 shares during the period. 99.83% of the stock is owned by 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.