Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) Upgraded by Zacks Research to Strong-Buy Rating

Posted by George Bondi on May 28th, 2026

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG – Free Report) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

ECPG has been the subject of several other reports. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Encore Capital Group from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Encore Capital Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Citizens Jmp boosted their price target on shares of Encore Capital Group from $90.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Citigroup reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Encore Capital Group in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Encore Capital Group from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Encore Capital Group currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.25.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on ECPG

Encore Capital Group Stock Performance

Encore Capital Group stock opened at $81.85 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.90. The company has a market capitalization of $1.75 billion, a PE ratio of 6.35 and a beta of 1.33. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $77.65 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $63.91. Encore Capital Group has a twelve month low of $35.67 and a twelve month high of $92.64.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The asset manager reported $3.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.84. The business had revenue of $475.41 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $446.26 million. Encore Capital Group had a net margin of 16.00% and a return on equity of 30.70%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.93 earnings per share. Encore Capital Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.000-13.000 EPS. Research analysts expect that Encore Capital Group will post 13.01 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Encore Capital Group

In related news, insider Ryan B. Bell sold 7,240 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.04, for a total transaction of $499,849.60. Following the transaction, the insider owned 48,170 shares in the company, valued at $3,325,656.80. The trade was a 13.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Encore Capital Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ECPG. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in shares of Encore Capital Group by 658.2% during the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 334,018 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $23,421,000 after buying an additional 289,964 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Encore Capital Group by 78.0% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 412,498 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $22,419,000 after buying an additional 180,733 shares during the period. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Encore Capital Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $7,453,000. Jane Street Group LLC increased its position in shares of Encore Capital Group by 488.1% during the fourth quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 154,128 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $8,377,000 after buying an additional 127,920 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Encore Capital Group by 379.7% during the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 98,817 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $4,125,000 after buying an additional 78,217 shares during the period.

About Encore Capital Group

(Get Free Report)

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.