Zacks Research Downgrades Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) to Hold

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on ECPG. Truist Financial upped their target price on Encore Capital Group from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings lowered Encore Capital Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Encore Capital Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of Encore Capital Group in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Finally, Citizens Jmp raised their target price on Encore Capital Group from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $88.00.

Encore Capital Group Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:ECPG opened at $90.17 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.00 and a beta of 1.27. Encore Capital Group has a 1-year low of $35.67 and a 1-year high of $94.60. The company’s fifty day moving average is $83.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $70.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.90, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 0.90.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The asset manager reported $3.86 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.84. The business had revenue of $475.41 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $446.26 million. Encore Capital Group had a net margin of 16.00% and a return on equity of 30.70%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.93 EPS. Encore Capital Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.000-13.000 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Encore Capital Group will post 13.01 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Encore Capital Group

In other news, insider John Yung sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.08, for a total value of $164,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 64,570 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,299,905.60. This represents a 3.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Encore Capital Group

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in Encore Capital Group by 29.1% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,139 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 257 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 66,825 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $3,632,000 after acquiring an additional 326 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 185.7% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 717 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 466 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 1,729.6% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 494 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 467 shares during the period. Finally, Carnegie Investment Counsel increased its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 2.2% during the first quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 27,308 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,915,000 after acquiring an additional 582 shares during the period.

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.