EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) Shares Acquired by Royce & Associates LP

Royce & Associates LP increased its stake in shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) by 77.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 658,515 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 287,818 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP’s holdings in EZCORP were worth $8,047,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of EZCORP by 97.0% in the 4th 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 period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in EZCORP in the third quarter valued at about $150,000. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in EZCORP in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $181,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in EZCORP during the 4th quarter worth approximately $186,000. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in shares of EZCORP during the 4th quarter worth approximately $210,000. 99.83% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

EZCORP Price Performance

EZCORP stock opened at $13.95 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $766.40 million, a PE ratio of 12.13 and a beta of 0.89. EZCORP, Inc. has a 52 week low of $9.66 and a 52 week high of $14.50. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $13.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $12.18. The company has a quick ratio of 2.13, a current ratio of 2.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last released 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%. On average, equities research analysts predict that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on EZPW shares. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price target on 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 note on Monday. Roth Mkm started coverage on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Monday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $16.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $13.50 target price on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $16.88.

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.