Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG) Shares Sold by Bridgeway Capital Management LLC

Bridgeway Capital Management LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG) by 17.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 216,004 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 44,808 shares during the quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Encore Capital Group were worth $10,319,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Encore Capital Group by 30.1% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,416,499 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $67,667,000 after buying an additional 327,637 shares in the last quarter. Portolan Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Encore Capital Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $10,291,000. Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in shares of Encore Capital Group by 73.1% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 318,096 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $15,195,000 after purchasing an additional 134,309 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Encore Capital Group in the 4th quarter valued at $3,361,000. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its position in shares of Encore Capital Group by 29.4% during the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 256,002 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $12,228,000 after purchasing an additional 58,099 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Transactions at Encore Capital Group

In related news, Director Ashwini Gupta acquired 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $35.10 per share, with a total value of $1,404,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 96,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,401,505.90. The trade was a 70.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Ashish Masih bought 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $35.14 per share, for a total transaction of $702,800.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 322,254 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,324,005.56. This trade represents a 6.62 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 2.63% of the company’s stock.

Encore Capital Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ECPG opened at $33.00 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $773.78 million, a P/E ratio of -4.20 and a beta of 1.65. Encore Capital Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $26.45 and a twelve month high of $51.77. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $33.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $43.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The asset manager reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.55 by ($0.05). Encore Capital Group had a negative net margin of 13.91% and a positive return on equity of 12.70%. The business had revenue of $265.62 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $373.40 million. On average, research analysts forecast that Encore Capital Group, Inc. will post 5.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ECPG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com raised Encore Capital Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on Encore Capital Group from $64.00 to $57.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $62.67.

Encore Capital Group Company Profile

Encore Capital Group, Inc, a specialty finance company, provides debt recovery solutions and other related services for consumers across financial assets worldwide. The company purchases portfolios of defaulted consumer receivables at deep discounts to face value, as well as manages them by working with individuals as they repay their obligations and works toward financial recovery.