Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Friday.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Northland Capmk raised Encore Capital Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Truist Financial decreased their price target on Encore Capital Group from $70.00 to $64.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. JMP Securities increased 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. Finally, Northland Securities raised Encore Capital Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $55.00 to $58.00 in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Encore Capital Group presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $62.33.

Encore Capital Group Stock Performance

Shares of Encore Capital Group stock traded down $0.20 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $49.19. 53,659 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 148,757. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39. The business has a 50-day moving average of $47.01 and a 200-day moving average of $46.25. Encore Capital Group has a 1 year low of $39.64 and a 1 year high of $54.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.27 and a beta of 1.56.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) last released 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). The firm had revenue of $367.07 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $360.70 million. Encore Capital Group had a positive return on equity of 12.70% and a negative net margin of 13.91%. The firm’s revenue was up 18.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.79 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Encore Capital Group will post 5.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Laura Olle sold 1,340 shares of Encore Capital Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.16, for a total transaction of $65,874.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 32,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,591,849.96. The trade was a 3.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.63% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Encore Capital Group

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ECPG. Huntington National Bank grew its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 8,700.0% during the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 528 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 522 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Encore Capital Group during the second quarter valued at $33,000. nVerses Capital LLC increased its position in Encore Capital Group by 450.0% during the 2nd quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 1,100 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV raised its stake in Encore Capital Group by 54.9% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,365 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 484 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in Encore Capital Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $60,000.

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.