Mutual of America Capital Management LLC Makes New Investment in Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG)

Mutual of America Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund acquired 4,118 shares of the asset manager’s stock, valued at approximately $209,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ECPG. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Encore Capital Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $453,000. Sheets Smith Wealth Management grew its position in Encore Capital Group by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management now owns 14,043 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $671,000 after purchasing an additional 317 shares in the last quarter. Shaker Investments LLC OH grew its position in Encore Capital Group by 78.2% in the 3rd quarter. Shaker Investments LLC OH now owns 49,081 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $2,344,000 after purchasing an additional 21,545 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its position in Encore Capital Group by 30.4% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 5,705 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $272,000 after purchasing an additional 1,330 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund bought a new stake in Encore Capital Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $639,000.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 price objective on shares of Encore Capital Group in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. TheStreet downgraded shares of Encore Capital Group from a “c-” rating to a “d+” rating in a research report on Monday, March 18th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Ryan B. Bell sold 5,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $275,000.00. Following the completion of 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 legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 2.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Encore Capital Group Stock Up 0.9 %

Encore Capital Group stock opened at $42.48 on Wednesday. Encore Capital Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $34.74 and a twelve month high of $54.73. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $46.46 and a 200-day moving average price of $46.81. The company has a market capitalization of $1.00 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.84 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 released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The asset manager reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $277.39 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $330.77 million. Encore Capital Group had a negative net margin of 16.89% and a positive return on equity of 9.46%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Encore Capital Group, Inc. will post 5.93 EPS for the current year.

Encore Capital Group 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.