Based on the aggregated intelligence of 130,000-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's business and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.

EZCORP facts

Headquarters (Founded)

Austin, Texas (1989)

Market Cap

$583.91 million

Industry

Consumer Finance

Trailing-12-Month Revenue

$473.71 Million

Management

CEO Joseph Rotunda (Since 2000)

CFO Dan Tonissen (Since 1994)

Return on Equity (Average, Past Three Years)

19.3%

Competitors

Cash America (NYSE:CSH)

First Cash Financial (NASDAQ:FCFS)

CAPS Members Bullish on EZPW Also Bullish on:

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL)

General Electric (NYSE:GE)

CAPS Members Bearish on EZPW Also Bearish on:

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG)

Raser Technologies (NYSE:RZ)

Sources: Capital IQ (a division of Standard & Poor's) and Motley Fool CAPS. 

On CAPS, 110 of the 115 All-Star members who have rated EZCORP -- 95.6% -- believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward. These bulls include TheGarcipian and tenmiles, both of whom are ranked in the top 0.3% of our community.

In early January, TheGarcipian highlighted EZCORP as a lender of last resort:

Face it, this economy is in the toilet and people will be hard pressed to come up with needed cash. ... More and more people will be selling their "un-necessities" via [eBay] and local pawn shops. This is where EZCorp will make quite a boon this coming year.

In a pitch from late January, tenmiles expands on EZCORP as a timely opportunity:

Legal loan sharking not a bad overall business in a recession. ... Historical mid-teen [return on equity] player whose pawn shop side of the business has recorded 25 consecutive quarters of [year over year] earnings growth. … Some potential exposure if new administration clamps down on "usury" providers, but view this as unlikely to cripple this business long term -- likely to continue to find accretive growth opportunities during industry consolidation.

What do you think about EZCORP, or any other stock for that matter? Make your voice heard on Motley Fool CAPS today. More than 130,000 investors are waiting to hear what you have to say. CAPS is 100% free, so get started!