Stephens Investment Management Group LLC Sells 258,121 Shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW)

Stephens Investment Management Group LLC trimmed its position in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) by 13.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,726,573 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 258,121 shares during the quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC’s holdings in EZCORP were worth $21,099,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Inspire Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of EZCORP in the 4th quarter valued at $865,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP increased its stake in EZCORP by 161.0% in the third quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 132,972 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,491,000 after acquiring an additional 82,025 shares during the period. Invenomic Capital Management LP acquired a new position in EZCORP in the third quarter worth about $2,122,000. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new position in EZCORP during the third quarter worth about $662,000. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in EZCORP by 11.3% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 92,166 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,033,000 after purchasing an additional 9,328 shares in the last quarter. 99.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

EZCORP Stock Up 8.7 %

Shares of EZPW opened at $13.43 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $731.53 million, a P/E ratio of 11.68 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.91 and a quick ratio of 1.99. EZCORP, Inc. has a one year low of $9.65 and a one year high of $13.56. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $12.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $11.73.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The credit services provider reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.07. EZCORP had a return on equity of 11.04% and a net margin of 7.25%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on EZPW. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their target price on EZCORP from $19.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $13.50 price objective on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Thursday.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Sunil Sajnani sold 34,493 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.42, for a total value of $428,403.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 66,242 shares in the company, valued at $822,725.64. The trade was a 34.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CRO Nicole Swies sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.47, for a total value of $124,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive now owns 101,813 shares in the company, valued at $1,269,608.11. The trade was a 8.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.