Topic: How To Invest

Pat: Can I have your advice on buying EZCORP, Inc.? Thank you.

Article Excerpt

EZCORP, Inc., $30.44, symbol EZPW on Nasdaq (Shares outstanding: 49.9 million; Market cap: $1.5 billion; www.ezcorp.com), provides loans and credit services to customers who do not have enough cash or access to credit to meet their short-term needs. EZCORP is based in Texas. Through its pawnshops, the company offers loans that borrowers must back up by offering tangible personal property as collateral. These types of loans are commonly known as pawn loans. The shops also sell merchandise, mainly collateral forfeited through the company’s pawn-lending operations. As well, EZCORP offers a variety of short-term consumer loans, including payday loans, instalment loans and auto-title loans. It also provides fee-based credit services. As of December 31, 2010, EZCORP operated over 1,000 locations. These outlets consisted of over 500 pawnshops in the U.S. and Mexico, plus 500 short-term consumer loan stores in the U.S. and Canada. The company also has significant investments in Albemarle & Bond Holdings plc, one of the U.K.’s largest pawnbroking…