Salem Investment Counselors Inc. Raises Stake in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW)

Salem Investment Counselors Inc. boosted its position in EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) by 33.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 48,335 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,135 shares during the period. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. owned about 0.09% of EZCORP worth $548,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale acquired a new position in shares of EZCORP in the third quarter worth $90,000. AXQ Capital LP purchased a new position in EZCORP in the 3rd quarter valued at about $112,000. Corton Capital Inc. purchased a new position in EZCORP in the 3rd quarter valued at about $123,000. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of EZCORP during the fourth quarter worth about $158,000. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new position in shares of EZCORP in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $228,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.83% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on EZPW shares. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their price target on shares of EZCORP from $18.00 to $17.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded EZCORP from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 29th.

EZCORP Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:EZPW traded down $0.07 during trading on Friday, hitting $10.11. 1,038,298 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 363,849. EZCORP, Inc. has a one year low of $7.70 and a one year high of $11.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $555.44 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.72 and a beta of 1.05. The business’s fifty day moving average is $10.49 and its 200-day moving average is $10.02. The company has a quick ratio of 3.23, a current ratio of 4.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.04. EZCORP had a return on equity of 10.55% and a net margin of 7.05%. The business had revenue of $285.64 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $287.59 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.23 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at EZCORP

In other EZCORP news, CRO Nicole Swies sold 2,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.38, for a total value of $25,605.00. Following the transaction, the executive now directly owns 71,458 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $813,192.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other EZCORP news, Director Matthew W. Appel sold 26,490 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.32, for a total transaction of $273,376.80. Following the transaction, the director now owns 138,684 shares in the company, valued at $1,431,218.88. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CRO Nicole Swies sold 2,250 shares of EZCORP stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.38, for a total value of $25,605.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive now owns 71,458 shares in the company, valued at $813,192.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.13% of the stock is currently owned by 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.