Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG) Shares Sold by SG Americas Securities LLC

SG Americas Securities LLC cut its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG) by 72.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,650 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 6,838 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Encore Capital Group were worth $134,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ECPG. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,949,208 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $98,335,000 after purchasing an additional 27,842 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,679,467 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $80,211,000 after purchasing an additional 11,195 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 478,858 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $23,282,000 after acquiring an additional 18,238 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 13.5% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 415,753 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $19,931,000 after purchasing an additional 49,544 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of Encore Capital Group by 1.3% in the second quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 411,097 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $19,988,000 after purchasing an additional 5,188 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Ryan B. Bell sold 5,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $275,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 42,404 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,120,200. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on ECPG shares. TheStreet cut Encore Capital Group from a “c-” rating to a “d+” rating in a report on Monday, March 18th. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of Encore Capital Group in a report on Wednesday.

Encore Capital Group Price Performance

ECPG opened at $41.22 on Thursday. Encore Capital Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $34.74 and a 52-week high of $54.73. The company has a 50 day moving average of $47.12 and a two-hundred day moving average of $46.99. The company has a market cap of $970.73 million, a P/E ratio of -4.69 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.54.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The asset manager reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.22 by $0.03. Encore Capital Group had a positive return on equity of 9.46% and a negative net margin of 16.89%. The firm had revenue of $277.39 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $330.77 million. On average, analysts expect that Encore Capital Group, Inc. will post 5.93 earnings per share for the current year.

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.