Citizens Jmp Issues Positive Forecast for Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) Stock Price

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) had its price target lifted by Citizens Jmp from $75.00 to $90.00 in a research report sent to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a market outperform rating on the asset manager’s stock.

ECPG has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Truist Financial upped their price target on Encore Capital Group from $59.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Citigroup reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Encore Capital Group in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Encore Capital Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Encore Capital Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, November 16th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Encore Capital Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $75.50.

Encore Capital Group Stock Up 8.1%

ECPG opened at $63.94 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $56.34 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $49.28. The company has a market capitalization of $1.43 billion, a PE ratio of 5.83 and a beta of 1.41. Encore Capital Group has a 1-year low of $26.45 and a 1-year high of $65.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.13.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The asset manager reported $3.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $473.55 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $423.14 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($9.42) EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 78.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Encore Capital Group will post 5.09 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Encore Capital Group

In other Encore Capital Group news, Director Laura Olle sold 1,423 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.79, for a total value of $75,120.17. Following the sale, the director owned 35,024 shares in the company, valued at $1,848,916.96. The trade was a 3.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Ryan B. Bell sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.00, for a total transaction of $137,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 55,410 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,047,550. This trade represents a 4.32% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 2.54% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Encore Capital Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Encore Capital Group by 78.0% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 412,498 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $22,419,000 after acquiring an additional 180,733 shares during the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Encore Capital Group in the fourth quarter valued at $7,453,000. Jane Street Group LLC raised its stake in Encore Capital Group by 488.1% during the fourth quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 154,128 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $8,377,000 after purchasing an additional 127,920 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in Encore Capital Group by 379.7% during the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 98,817 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $4,125,000 after purchasing an additional 78,217 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its position in Encore Capital Group by 476.6% during the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 92,978 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $3,599,000 after purchasing an additional 76,852 shares during the last quarter.

Encore Capital Group News Summary

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.