Last Call: First Cash Financial Services shares leap

The Arlington, Texas-based company's profit from continuing operations of 21 cents per share met analysts' expectations, according to a Thomson Financial survey. But Roth Capital Partners analyst Elizabeth Pierce said some investors had braced for disappointment.

"The first quarter was not the disaster of a quarter that we suspect some had feared," Pierce said. "The company's primary businesses posted very strong results."

While First Cash's auto dealership business continued to struggle with bad credit, sales of pawned merchandise surged 17 percent. Sales were fueled by high gold prices, which help First Cash because many of the company's customers pawn gold.

Stephens Inc. analyst Dennis Telzrow raised his price target on First Cash to $19 from $16.

"The power of the pawn business exceeded our expectations," he said.

Shares of First Cash surged $1.29, or 9.9 percent, to $14.27. The shares have traded in a range of $7.54 and $25.80 in the past year.