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

Shares of Encore Capital Group Inc (NASDAQ:ECPG) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Buy” from the six brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, four have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $88.00.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on ECPG shares. Citizens Jmp boosted their target price on Encore Capital Group from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen lowered Encore Capital Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Weiss Ratings lowered Encore Capital Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on Encore Capital Group from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of Encore Capital Group in a research report on Wednesday.

Encore Capital Group Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:ECPG opened at $82.99 on Friday. 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 has a 1 year low of $35.67 and a 1 year high of $92.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.44 and a beta of 1.30. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $81.05 and a 200-day simple moving average of $67.45.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider John Yung sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.08, for a total transaction of $164,160.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 64,570 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,299,905.60. The trade was a 3.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Encore Capital Group

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. IFP Advisors Inc raised its position in shares of Encore Capital Group by 1,729.6% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 494 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 467 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Encore Capital Group by 185.7% during the 4th 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. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in shares of Encore Capital Group by 29.1% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,139 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 257 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Encore Capital Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $88,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Encore Capital Group during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $165,000.

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.