Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) Price Target Raised to $80.00 at Truist Financial

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) had its target price boosted by Truist Financial from $59.00 to $80.00 in a research report released on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. Truist Financial currently has a buy rating on the asset manager’s stock.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of Encore Capital Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Encore Capital Group in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Encore Capital Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, November 16th. Janney Montgomery Scott raised their target price on shares of Encore Capital Group from $56.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Encore Capital Group in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $75.50.

Encore Capital Group Stock Up 8.1%

NASDAQ ECPG opened at $63.94 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.83 and a beta of 1.41. Encore Capital Group has a 52 week low of $26.45 and a 52 week high of $65.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.13, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 0.66. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $56.34 and a 200-day moving average of $49.28.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The asset manager reported $3.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $1.17. Encore Capital Group had a net margin of 14.52% and a return on equity of 28.88%. The business had revenue of $473.55 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $423.14 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($9.42) earnings per share. Encore Capital Group’s revenue was up 78.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Encore Capital Group will post 5.09 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Encore Capital Group

In other news, Director Laura Olle sold 1,423 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.79, for a total value of $75,120.17. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 35,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,848,916.96. This represents a 3.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Ryan B. Bell sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.00, for a total transaction of $137,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 55,410 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,047,550. This trade represents a 4.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 2.54% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Encore Capital Group during the 4th quarter valued at $201,000. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its stake in Encore Capital Group by 76.5% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 9,053 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $492,000 after purchasing an additional 3,924 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in Encore Capital Group by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 102,502 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $5,571,000 after purchasing an additional 3,951 shares in the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 18.2% during the fourth quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 6,915 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $376,000 after purchasing an additional 1,063 shares during the period. Finally, VARCOV Co. bought a new position in shares of Encore Capital Group during the 4th quarter worth about $599,000.

Trending Headlines about Encore Capital Group

Here are the key news stories impacting Encore Capital Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results materially beat expectations: EPS of $3.37 vs. $2.20 consensus and revenue of $473.6M (≈+78% YoY). Management published the press release and slide deck and hosted a call detailing drivers of the beat. Earnings Snapshot & Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Company raised FY2026 EPS guidance to $12.00 (vs. street ~$8.76), signaling stronger forward earnings power and giving investors a clear reason to re-rate the multiple. Guidance Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are upgrading and lifting price targets: Truist raised its target to $80 (buy) and Citizens Jmp boosted its target to $90 (market outperform), reflecting renewed analyst conviction and adding upside to consensus valuations. Benzinga: Analyst Updates
• Neutral Sentiment: Company reiterated growth plans — targeting ~$1.4B–$1.5B in portfolio purchases and guiding toward ~10% EPS growth — which outline how management intends to sustain earnings but carry execution risk. Portfolio Purchase Guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors can review the full earnings call transcript and slide deck for detail on portfolio mix, reserve assumptions and collection trends to assess sustainability of the beat. Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Balance‑sheet and liquidity metrics warrant attention: the company shows elevated leverage (debt/equity ~4.13) and modest current/quick ratios (~0.66), raising financial-risk considerations if macro collections weaken.

About Encore Capital Group

Encore Capital Group, Inc is a global specialty finance company that focuses on the purchase and management of nonperforming consumer receivables. Through its subsidiaries, the company acquires charged-off debt portfolios from credit card issuers, banks, and other financial institutions, and seeks to recover outstanding balances through a combination of customer outreach, payment arrangements, and, where appropriate, legal collection efforts. Encore’s business model emphasizes compliance with regulatory and industry standards to ensure ethical and transparent debt-recovery practices.

Headquartered in San Diego, California, Encore operates across North America and Europe.