Encore Capital Group Inc (NASDAQ:ECPG) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Encore Capital Group Inc (NASDAQ:ECPG) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the five research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $59.50.

ECPG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Encore Capital Group in a research note on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Encore Capital Group in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen cut Encore Capital Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, November 16th. Janney Montgomery Scott lifted their price objective on Encore Capital Group from $56.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Encore Capital Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th.

Encore Capital Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ECPG opened at $56.22 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.13, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 0.66. Encore Capital Group has a fifty-two week low of $26.45 and a fifty-two week high of $57.81. The firm has a market cap of $1.25 billion, a PE ratio of -30.72 and a beta of 1.45. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $53.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $45.83.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The asset manager reported $3.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.92 by $1.25. The company had revenue of $460.35 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $410.70 million. Encore Capital Group had a negative net margin of 2.89% and a positive return on equity of 25.27%. The firm’s revenue was up 25.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.26 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Encore Capital Group will post 5.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Ryan B. Bell sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.00, for a total value of $137,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 55,410 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,047,550. This represents a 4.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Laura Olle sold 1,423 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.79, for a total transaction of $75,120.17. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 35,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,848,916.96. This trade represents a 3.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,923 shares of company stock worth $264,620. 2.63% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 9.1% in the 2nd quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 1,248,831 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $48,342,000 after purchasing an additional 104,367 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 379.7% in the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 98,817 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $4,125,000 after purchasing an additional 78,217 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 476.6% in the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 92,978 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $3,599,000 after purchasing an additional 76,852 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in Encore Capital Group by 383.0% during the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 66,499 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $2,776,000 after buying an additional 52,730 shares during the period. Finally, Heartland Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 17.7% during the 3rd quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. now owns 350,850 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $14,644,000 after buying an additional 52,700 shares in the last quarter.

Encore Capital Group Company Profile

Encore Capital Group, Inc is a global specialty finance company that focuses on the purchase and management of nonperforming consumer receivables. Through its subsidiaries, the company acquires charged-off debt portfolios from credit card issuers, banks, and other financial institutions, and seeks to recover outstanding balances through a combination of customer outreach, payment arrangements, and, where appropriate, legal collection efforts. Encore’s business model emphasizes compliance with regulatory and industry standards to ensure ethical and transparent debt-recovery practices.

Headquartered in San Diego, California, Encore operates across North America and Europe.