Why EZCORP Is Ready to Rebound

Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, pawn shop operator EZCORP (NASDAQ: EZPW  ) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.

With that in mind, let's take a closer look at EZCORP and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.

EZCORP facts

 

 

Headquarters (founded)	Austin, Texas (1989)
Market Cap	$975.6 million
Industry	Consumer finance
Trailing-12-Month Revenue	$1.0 billion
Management	CEO Paul Rothamel (since 2010) CFO Mark Kuchenrither (since 2012)
Return on Equity (average, past 3 years)	19.5%
Cash/Debt	$46.7 million/$236.8 million
Competitors	Cash America International  First Cash Financial Services

Sources: S&P Capital IQ and Motley Fool CAPS.

On CAPS, 97% of the 669 members who have rated EZCORP believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward.

Earlier this year, one of those Fools, ValueSpreadsheet, succinctly summed up the EZCORP bull case for our community:

Intrinsic value estimate between [$35 and $50 per share].

Has seen its net profit margin and book value increase steadily over the past years.

PEG ratio way below 1.

In addition, the pawn shop business does great in tumultuous times and is becoming more and more accepted, partly due to the numerous TV shows. I'm convinced!

If you want market-thumping returns, you need to put together the best portfolio you can. Of course, despite a strong five-star rating, EZCORP may not be your top choice.

We've found another stock we are incredibly excited about -- excited enough to dub it "The Motley Fool's Top Stock for 2013." We have compiled a special free report for investors to uncover this stock today. The report is 100% free, but it won't be here forever, so click here to access it now.

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Abbott Laboratories to Acquire Veropharm (ABT)

After an M&A packed morning, Abbott Labs (ABT) announced on Monday afternoon that it is acquiring Russian Pharmaceutical company Veropharm.

The definitive agreement will see Abbott Labs acquire Limited Liability Company Garden Hills, which has a controlling interest in Veropharm. The price of the sale will be between $395 million and $495 million, depending on how much of Veropharm Garden Hills owns at the time. Garden Hills currently owns 80% of Veropharm, but is expected to own 95% by the time the deal closes. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter. In May, Abbott Labs announced that it was acquiring CFR Pharma for $3.3 billion.

Abbott stocks ended the day down 12 cents, or 0.29%, but were climbing slightly higher in after hours trading. YTD, the company’s stock is up 6.85%.

ABT Dividend Snapshot

As of Market Close on June 23, 2014

Click here to see the complete history of ABT dividends.