Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Buy” by Analysts

Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG) has received a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the four ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $65.00.

ECPG has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Northland Securities lifted their price objective on shares of Encore Capital Group from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Northland Capmk upgraded Encore Capital Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. StockNews.com raised Encore Capital Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 29th. Finally, JMP Securities raised their price objective on Encore Capital Group from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th.

Encore Capital Group Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ ECPG opened at $49.70 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $48.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $47.91. The company has a market cap of $1.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.33 and a beta of 1.55. Encore Capital Group has a 12 month low of $39.64 and a 12 month high of $54.55. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The asset manager reported $1.26 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.48 by ($0.22). Encore Capital Group had a positive return on equity of 12.70% and a negative net margin of 13.91%. The firm had revenue of $367.07 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $360.70 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.79 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 18.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Encore Capital Group will post 5.09 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Encore Capital Group

In related news, Director Laura Olle sold 1,340 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.16, for a total value of $65,874.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 32,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,591,849.96. The trade was a 3.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 2.63% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Encore Capital Group

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Phase 2 Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 219.9% during the 3rd quarter. Phase 2 Partners LLC now owns 241,509 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $11,416,000 after acquiring an additional 166,014 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Encore Capital Group by 16.0% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 756,335 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $35,752,000 after purchasing an additional 104,509 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP grew its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 221.1% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 130,127 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $5,430,000 after purchasing an additional 89,596 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of Encore Capital Group by 22.9% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 197,903 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $9,355,000 after purchasing an additional 36,822 shares during the period. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 191.7% in the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 49,719 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $2,350,000 after buying an additional 32,672 shares during the last quarter.

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.