Encore Capital Group Inc (NASDAQ:ECPG) Receives $62.67 Consensus Price Target from Analysts

Encore Capital Group Inc (NASDAQ:ECPG) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the five analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $62.6667.

ECPG has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Zacks Research raised shares of Encore Capital Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Encore Capital Group in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Encore Capital Group

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ECPG. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 10.7% in the 1st quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 14,056 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $482,000 after buying an additional 1,358 shares during the period. Buffington Mohr McNeal bought a new position in Encore Capital Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $686,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 117,967 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $4,044,000 after buying an additional 3,105 shares during the period. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC increased its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 1,144,464 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $39,232,000 after buying an additional 7,010 shares during the period. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 38.6% in the 1st quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 196,004 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $6,719,000 after buying an additional 54,568 shares during the period.

Encore Capital Group Stock Performance

Shares of ECPG stock opened at $40.90 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $941.19 million, a P/E ratio of -10.94 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.43, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $43.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $39.72. Encore Capital Group has a one year low of $26.45 and a one year high of $51.77.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The asset manager reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $1.05. Encore Capital Group had a negative net margin of 6.07% and a positive return on equity of 19.61%. The company had revenue of $442.12 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $383.42 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.34 EPS. Encore Capital Group’s quarterly revenue was up 24.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Encore Capital Group will post 5.09 EPS 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.