EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) Stake Boosted by Verition Fund Management LLC

Verition Fund Management LLC raised its position in shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) by 54.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 68,417 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 24,241 shares during the quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC’s holdings in EZCORP were worth $767,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in shares of EZCORP by 44.4% in the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,460,564 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $15,292,000 after acquiring an additional 449,360 shares in the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP lifted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 82,025 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of EZCORP in the third quarter worth $662,000. Fourth Sail Capital LP grew its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 21.5% during the second quarter. Fourth Sail Capital LP now owns 718,947 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $7,527,000 after buying an additional 127,070 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in EZCORP during the third quarter valued at $918,000. 99.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

EZCORP Price Performance

EZPW opened at $12.11 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $11.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $11.13. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 1.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. EZCORP, Inc. has a 1 year low of $8.20 and a 1 year high of $12.85. The stock has a market cap of $659.63 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.91 and a beta of 1.05.

Insider Transactions at EZCORP

In other news, insider Sunil Sajnani sold 34,493 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.42, for a total transaction of $428,403.06. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 66,242 shares in the company, valued at $822,725.64. This represents a 34.24 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CRO Nicole Swies sold 10,000 shares of EZCORP stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.47, for a total transaction of $124,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive now directly owns 101,813 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,269,608.11. The trade was a 8.94 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on EZPW. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Stephens started coverage on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $13.00 price objective on the stock.

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.