AlphaQuest LLC Reduces Its Stake in FirstCash Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCFS)

On March 17, 2025, it was reported that AlphaQuest LLC has significantly decreased its holdings in FirstCash Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCFS) by 96.1% during the fourth quarter, as revealed in its recent Form 13F filing with the SEC.

After selling 39,202 shares in the period, AlphaQuest LLC now owns only 1,605 shares of FirstCash, which have a total value of $166,000 at the end of the quarter.

In addition to AlphaQuest, numerous other institutional investors and hedge funds have made adjustments to their positions in FCFS. FMR LLC, for example, increased its stake in FirstCash by 18.3% during the third quarter, now holding 6,712,779 shares valued at $770,627,000 after an additional purchase of 1,037,601 shares in the last quarter.

During the same quarter, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. entered a new position in FirstCash worth $50,192,000, while Raymond James Financial Inc. bought new shares valued at $18,169,000 also in the fourth quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH made a new investment in FirstCash valued at approximately $18,368,000 in the third quarter. Furthermore, Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its position by 174.3% in the third quarter and now owns 159,140 shares worth $18,269,000 after purchasing an additional 101,130 shares.

Overall, hedge funds and institutional investors hold about 80.30% of FirstCash shares.

Analyst Ratings Update

In a separate note, the investment firm Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating for FirstCash and set a target price of $137.00 for the shares in a report released on February 19.

Insider Selling Activity

There have also been notable insider trades at FirstCash. Major shareholder Douglas Richard Rippel sold 300,000 shares on February 11 at an average price of $113.43, totaling around $34,029,000. Post-sale, Rippel retains ownership of 4,431,869 shares valued at approximately $502,706,900.67, marking a 6.34% decrease in his ownership.

Additionally, CFO R Douglas Orr sold 2,000 shares at an average price of $113.35 on February 5 for a total of $226,700. After this transaction, he holds 100,567 shares valued at about $11,399,269.45, reflecting a 1.95% reduction in his stake. Currently, insiders own about 14.77% of FirstCash stock.

Stock Performance Overview

As of Monday, shares of NASDAQ FCFS were trading at $116.94. The company’s 50-day simple moving average stands at $112.63, while the 200-day moving average is at $110.87. Over the past year, FirstCash's stock has seen a low of $100.24 and a high of $133.64. The company holds a market capitalization of $5.23 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.41, with a beta of 0.63. Its financial position indicates a quick ratio of 3.15 and a current ratio of 4.14 with a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84.

FirstCash recently released its quarterly earnings report on January 30, reporting earnings of $2.12 per share, exceeding analysts’ expectations of $2.02 by $0.10. The company’s net margin was recorded at 7.64%, with a return on equity of 14.99%. Analysts are predicting that FirstCash Holdings, Inc. will report an earnings per share of 7.7 for the current fiscal year.

Dividend Announcement

The company has also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was disbursed on February 28. Shareholders of record on February 14 received a dividend of $0.38 per share. The ex-dividend date for this dividend was February 14, which translates to an annualized dividend of $1.52, yielding 1.30%. FirstCash's payout ratio is currently at 26.53%.

About FirstCash Holdings, Inc.

FirstCash Holdings, Inc., alongside its subsidiaries, functions retail pawn shops across the United States, Mexico, and other parts of Latin America. Its operations are divided into three segments: U.S. Pawn, Latin America Pawn, and Retail POS Payment Solutions. The company’s pawn stores provide loans against personal property while also selling products acquired from forfeited collateral and over-the-counter purchases from customers.

AlphaQuest, FirstCash, Investments