Encore Capital Group Inc (NASDAQ:ECPG) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Encore Capital Group Inc (NASDAQ:ECPG) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the six research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has assigned a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $66.00.

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Zacks Research lowered shares of Encore Capital Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Northland Securities set a $70.00 price objective on shares of Encore Capital Group in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Janney Montgomery Scott upped their price target on Encore Capital Group from $56.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Encore Capital Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, November 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Encore Capital Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st.

Insider Activity at Encore Capital Group

In related news, insider Ryan B. Bell sold 2,500 shares of Encore Capital Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.00, for a total value of $137,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 55,410 shares in the company, valued at $3,047,550. This trade represents a 4.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider John Yung sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.00, for a total transaction of $52,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 56,609 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,943,668. This trade represents a 1.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 4,923 shares of company stock worth $264,620. 2.54% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Encore Capital Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 97.9% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 33,620 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,153,000 after purchasing an additional 16,634 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 263.0% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 68,860 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $2,361,000 after acquiring an additional 49,892 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 13,929 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $477,000 after acquiring an additional 612 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 90,910 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $3,116,000 after acquiring an additional 1,806 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its position in Encore Capital Group by 7.8% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 78,465 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $2,690,000 after acquiring an additional 5,672 shares during the last quarter.

Encore Capital Group Stock Performance

ECPG stock opened at $57.47 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.28 billion, a P/E ratio of -31.40 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $55.59 and a 200 day simple moving average of $47.96. Encore Capital Group has a fifty-two week low of $26.45 and a fifty-two week high of $59.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.13.

Encore Capital Group Company Profile

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.