Heartland Value Plus Fund highlighted FirstCash Holdings as a non-tech opportunity benefiting from inflation pressure in its second-quarter 2026 investor letter. The fund noted that FirstCash, the world's largest pawn shop operator, is seeing strong pawn loan demand as consumers struggle with rising inflation, while high gold prices allow it to issue larger loans and collect larger fees. FirstCash recently reported pawn fees up 39% year over year and raised guidance across the board. The fund believes the stock remains reasonably valued at 13 times EBITDA based on its 2026-2027 estimates, with management returning cash to shareholders through a rising dividend and stock buybacks. FirstCash shares gained 60.05% over the past 52 weeks, closing at $210.06 on July 14, 2026, for a market capitalization of $9.21 billion.
FirstCash IncStrong pawn loan demand from inflation-strapped consumers, with pawn fees up 39% YoY and raised guidance.