--- title: "This Pawn Shop Stock Has Jumped 135% and One Fund Just Disclosed a New $39 Million Stake" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/286959000.md" description: "Ophir Asset Management has acquired 1,616,518 shares of EZCORP, valued at approximately $38.75 million, marking a new position for the fund. The stake's value increased to $41.03 million due to share price appreciation. EZCORP's stock has surged 135% over the past year, significantly outperforming the S&P 500. The company reported a 46% revenue increase year-over-year, driven by strong demand for pawn loans and expansion of its store network." datetime: "2026-05-19T19:55:20.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/286959000.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286959000.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/286959000.md) --- # This Pawn Shop Stock Has Jumped 135% and One Fund Just Disclosed a New $39 Million Stake ## Key Points - Ophir Asset Management initiated a new position by acquiring 1,616,518 shares of EZCORP last quarter. - The quarter-end value of the position increased by $41.03 million, reflecting both the new shares and price movement during the period. - This transaction represented a 4.5% change in 13F reportable assets under management (AUM). - 10 stocks we like better than Ezcorp › On May 15, 2026, Ophir Asset Management Pty Ltd disclosed a new position in **EZCORP** (NASDAQ:EZPW), acquiring 1,616,518 shares in a transaction estimated at $38.75 million based on quarterly average pricing. ## What happened According to an SEC filing dated May 15, 2026, Ophir Asset Management Pty Ltd reported the purchase of 1,616,518 shares of EZCORP, marking the initiation of a new position. The estimated value of the purchase was $38.75 million, calculated using the average closing price for the first quarter. The quarter-end value of the stake was $41.03 million, reflecting both the share acquisition and price appreciation. ## What else to know - This is a new position, now accounting for nearly 5% of the fund’s 13F reportable AUM. - Top holdings after the filing: - NYSE: AIR: $59.11 million (6.9% of AUM) - NYSE: VVX: $58.03 million (6.8% of AUM) - NASDAQ: MRX: $55.57 million (6.5% of AUM) - NYSE: SXI: $50.21 million (5.8% of AUM) - NASDAQ: EZPW: $41.03 million (4.8% of AUM) - As of May 14, 2026, EZPW shares were priced at $32.78, up 135% over the past year and well outperforming the S&P 500, which is up about 25% in the same period. ## Company overview Metric Value Price (as of market close May 14, 2026) $32.78 Market capitalization $2 billion Revenue (TTM) $1.48 billion Net income (TTM) $146.61 million ## Company snapshot - EZCORP offers pawn loans collateralized by personal property, and sells forfeited and pre-owned merchandise, including jewelry, electronics, and tools. - The firm generates revenue primarily from pawn lending operations and merchandise sales, with digital platforms (Lana and EZ+) supporting customer engagement and loan management. - It serves individuals in the United States and Latin America seeking short-term credit solutions, with a retail network spanning over 1,100 pawn stores across multiple countries. EZCORP is a leading provider of pawn loans and related retail services, operating a large footprint of pawn stores in the United States and Latin America. The company leverages both physical locations and digital platforms to deliver credit and retail solutions to underserved consumer segments. Its scale, geographic diversification, and focus on collateralized lending underpin its competitive positioning in the alternative financial services sector. ## What this transaction means for investors Ophir is stepping into EZCORP as its performance proves especially strong. Last quarter, the firm’s revenue surged 46% year over year to a record $446.9 million, while adjusted EBITDA jumped 76% to $76.9 million. Meanwhile, net income nearly doubled to $49.1 million, and pawn loans outstanding climbed 33% to $349.4 million, fueled by strong demand for short-term cash solutions and higher gold prices, which also boosted jewelry scrap margins. Management has also been aggressively expanding. EZCORP added 123 stores during the quarter and ended March with 1,506 locations across 16 countries. That scale matters because pawn lending tends to benefit from repeat customer behavior and local market density. And during periods of economic uncertainty, they can also see an uplift. For long-term investors, the key question is whether EZCORP can keep compounding earnings even if consumer conditions improve. Right now, the numbers suggest management is executing well, but after a 135% stock run over the past year, expectations are clearly much higher than they were 12 months ago. ## Should you buy stock in Ezcorp right now? Before you buy stock in Ezcorp, consider this: The _Motley Fool Stock Advisor_ analyst team just identified what they believe are the **10 best stocks** for investors to buy now… and Ezcorp wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when **Netflix** made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, **you’d have $483,476**!\* Or when **Nvidia** made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, **you’d have $1,362,941**!\* Now, it’s worth noting _Stock Advisor’s_ total average return is 998% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 207% for the S&P 500. **Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with _Stock Advisor_, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.** See the 10 stocks » _\*Stock Advisor returns as of May 19, 2026._ _Jonathan Ponciano has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy._ The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. ### Related Stocks - [EZPW.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/EZPW.US.md) - [AIR.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AIR.US.md) - [VVX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/VVX.US.md) - [MRX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/MRX.US.md) - [SXI.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SXI.US.md) - [.SPX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/.SPX.US.md) - [NFLX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NFLX.US.md) - [NVDA.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NVDA.US.md) - [NVD.DE](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NVD.DE.md) ## Related News & Research - [99,845 Shares in EZCORP, Inc. $EZPW Acquired by L & S Advisors Inc](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286748196.md) - [Two Signs Of An Invisible Recession The Market Keeps Ignoring](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286542156.md) - [Voya Equity Closed End Funds Declare Distributions | IAE Stock News](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286607678.md) - [The smartest stock to buy with $1,000 right now](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286600210.md) - [Huge news for Qualcomm stock investors](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286673239.md)