11,800 Shares in Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG) Purchased by Louisiana State Employees Retirement System

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new position in Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 11,800 shares of the asset manager’s stock, valued at approximately $599,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Encore Capital Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $209,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new stake in Encore Capital Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $206,000. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Encore Capital Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $853,000. Third Avenue Management LLC lifted its stake in Encore Capital Group by 17.7% during the 3rd quarter. Third Avenue Management LLC now owns 170,678 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $8,046,000 after acquiring an additional 25,723 shares during the period. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group lifted its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 13.0% in the 3rd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 396,879 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $18,955,000 after purchasing an additional 45,598 shares during the period.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Ryan B. Bell sold 5,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $275,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 42,404 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,120,200. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 2.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on ECPG shares. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of Encore Capital Group in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. TheStreet cut shares of Encore Capital Group from a “c-” rating to a “d+” rating in a research note on Monday, March 18th.

Encore Capital Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ECPG opened at $41.63 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $980.18 million, a PE ratio of -4.74 and a beta of 1.36. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $45.92 and a 200 day moving average of $46.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.54, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 0.83. Encore Capital Group, Inc. has a one year low of $34.74 and a one year high of $54.73.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The asset manager reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.22 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $277.39 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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, research analysts predict that Encore Capital Group, Inc. will post 5.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Encore Capital Group

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.