EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) Shares Gap Up – What’s Next?

Shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) gapped up prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $13.45, but opened at $14.12. EZCORP shares last traded at $13.88, with a volume of 75,249 shares trading hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EZPW has been the topic of several analyst reports. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their target price on EZCORP from $19.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $13.50 target price on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Roth Mkm initiated coverage on EZCORP in a research note on Monday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $16.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Roth Capital set a $16.00 target price on EZCORP in a research note on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $16.88.

EZCORP Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.91 and a quick ratio of 2.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $766.40 million, a PE ratio of 12.13 and a beta of 0.89. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $13.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $12.18.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The credit services provider reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.07. EZCORP had a return on equity of 11.04% and a net margin of 7.25%. Research analysts expect that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of EZCORP

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted 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 valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 1,554 shares in the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in EZCORP during the fourth quarter worth $122,000. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC acquired a new position in EZCORP during the fourth quarter worth $138,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in EZCORP during the third quarter worth $150,000. Finally, Teza Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in EZCORP by 6.6% during the fourth 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 last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.