Ashish Masih Purchases 20,000 Shares of Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG) Stock

Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG) CEO Ashish Masih bought 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $35.14 per share, with a total value of $702,800.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 322,254 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,324,005.56. This represents a 6.62 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Encore Capital Group Trading Down 0.1 %

ECPG traded down $0.02 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $34.46. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 731,581 shares, compared to its average volume of 269,621. The stock has a market cap of $816.39 million, a PE ratio of -4.39 and a beta of 1.55. Encore Capital Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $32.99 and a fifty-two week high of $51.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The business’s 50-day moving average is $47.87 and its 200-day moving average is $47.78.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The asset manager reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.55 by ($0.05). Encore Capital Group had a negative net margin of 13.91% and a positive return on equity of 12.70%. The business had revenue of $265.62 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $373.40 million. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Encore Capital Group, Inc. will post 5.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Truist Financial lowered their price target on Encore Capital Group from $64.00 to $57.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Northland Securities upped their price target on Encore Capital Group from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. StockNews.com downgraded Encore Capital Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, JMP Securities raised their target price on Encore Capital Group from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $62.67.

Institutional Trading of Encore Capital Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Huntington National Bank boosted its position in shares of Encore Capital Group by 8,700.0% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 528 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 522 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Encore Capital Group by 120.8% during the 4th quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 530 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 290 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Encore Capital Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 827.2% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 751 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 670 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV increased its position in shares of 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.

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.