Cash America International and EZCorp Open Near 52-Week Highs

Cash America International CSH and EZCorp EZPW reached new 52-week highs of $55.35 and $34.44 per share, respectively, in Monday's trading session. Cash America has seen recent price target boosts from Jeffries and Roth Capital due to its strong fundamentals and better-than-expected earnings results. Cash America operates more than 900 pawn shops and 250 cash advance stores, primarily in the United States and Mexico. It has a market cap of $1.6 billion. Its long-term EPS growth forecast is 15.0%. The P/E ratio of 14.6 is less than the industry average, and the PEG ratio is 0.8. The stock has grown nearly 50% since the beginning of the year, outperforming competitor EZCorp and the industry average, as well as the broader markets. EZCorp is aggressively opening new stores and acquiring small businesses to meet demand and gain market share, despite new regulations aimed at curbing exorbitant lending rates. The company has a $1.6 billion market cap and it operates more than 500 pawn shops and 500 payday loan stores in North America. The long-term EPS growth forecast is 15.0%. The P/E ratio of 15.1 is less than the industry average, and the PEG ratio is 0.8. EZCorp also has a return on equity of 18.9%. The share price has risen more than 26% year to date; the stock has outperformed its industry average and the broader markets.