EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) Short Interest Up 12.0% in October

EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW) saw a significant growth in short interest in October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 7,830,000 shares, a growth of 12.0% from the October 15th total of 6,990,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 469,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 16.7 days. Approximately 15.8% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On EZCORP

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. USA Financial Formulas bought a new stake in EZCORP during the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Quarry LP boosted its stake in shares of EZCORP by 169.1% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 4,736 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 2,976 shares during the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of EZCORP in the 2nd quarter valued at about $71,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC bought a new position in shares of EZCORP in the 3rd quarter valued at about $106,000. Finally, nVerses Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of EZCORP by 640.0% in the 3rd quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 11,100 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $124,000 after purchasing an additional 9,600 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.83% of the company’s stock.

EZCORP Price Performance

NASDAQ:EZPW traded up $0.14 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $12.06. 510,783 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 513,903. EZCORP has a 12 month low of $7.72 and a 12 month high of $12.23. The company has a fifty day moving average of $11.35 and a 200 day moving average of $10.88. The company has a quick ratio of 1.99, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The stock has a market cap of $660.16 million, a PE ratio of 10.86 and a beta of 1.03.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

EZPW has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 price objective on shares of EZCORP in a report on Friday, October 4th. Stephens started coverage on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $13.00 price objective for the company.

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.