Encore Capital Group Inc (NASDAQ:ECPG) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Encore Capital Group Inc (NASDAQ:ECPG) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $86.25.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citizens Jmp raised their target price on shares of Encore Capital Group from $90.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Encore Capital Group from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Encore Capital Group from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Encore Capital Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Encore Capital Group in a research note on Thursday, May 7th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Ryan B. Bell sold 7,240 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.04, for a total value of $499,849.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 48,170 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,325,656.80. This trade represents a 13.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

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. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in Encore Capital Group by 1,729.6% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 494 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 467 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Encore Capital Group by 185.7% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 717 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 466 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake 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 worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in Encore Capital Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $88,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Encore Capital Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $165,000.

Encore Capital Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ECPG opened at $80.20 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.22 and a beta of 1.33. Encore Capital Group has a 1-year low of $35.67 and a 1-year high of $92.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.90, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 0.90. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $76.78 and a 200 day moving average price of $63.12.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The asset manager reported $3.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.84. The firm had revenue of $475.41 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $446.26 million. Encore Capital Group had a net margin of 16.00% and a return on equity of 30.70%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.93 earnings per share. Encore Capital Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.000-13.000 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Encore Capital Group will post 13.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.