Q1 Earnings Forecast for ECPG Issued By Northland Securities

Encore Capital Group Inc (NASDAQ:ECPG) – Stock analysts at Northland Securities boosted their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for Encore Capital Group in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, February 25th. Northland Securities analyst M. Grondahl now forecasts that the asset manager will post earnings of $2.80 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $2.00. The consensus estimate for Encore Capital Group’s current full-year earnings is $5.09 per share. Northland Securities also issued estimates for Encore Capital Group’s Q2 2026 earnings at $3.04 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $3.00 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $3.15 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $12.00 EPS.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on ECPG. Janney Montgomery Scott upped their price objective on shares of Encore Capital Group from $56.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Citizens Jmp upped their price objective on shares of Encore Capital Group from $75.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Wall Street Zen raised Encore Capital Group from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Encore Capital Group in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price objective on Encore Capital Group from $59.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $75.50.

Encore Capital Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ECPG opened at $71.86 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.10. Encore Capital Group has a 12 month low of $26.45 and a 12 month high of $72.62. The company has a market capitalization of $1.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.56 and a beta of 1.35. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $57.28 and its 200 day moving average is $50.02.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The asset manager reported $3.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20 by $1.17. Encore Capital Group had a return on equity of 28.19% and a net margin of 14.52%.The firm had revenue of $473.55 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $423.14 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($9.42) EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 78.3% on a year-over-year basis.

Institutional Trading of Encore Capital Group

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 97.9% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 33,620 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,153,000 after purchasing an additional 16,634 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Encore Capital Group by 263.0% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 68,860 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $2,361,000 after purchasing an additional 49,892 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 4.6% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 13,929 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $477,000 after acquiring an additional 612 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 90,910 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $3,116,000 after purchasing an additional 1,806 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in Encore Capital Group by 7.8% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 78,465 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $2,690,000 after buying an additional 5,672 shares during the last quarter.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Ryan B. Bell sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.00, for a total value of $137,500.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 55,410 shares in the company, valued at $3,047,550. This represents a 4.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.63% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Encore Capital Group

Here are the key news stories impacting Encore Capital Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Earnings beat and guidance upgrade — coverage notes a post-earnings rebound and an upgraded 2026 EPS outlook, which appears to be the primary driver of the rally. Encore Capital Group (ECPG) Is Up 16.9% After Earnings Rebound And 2026 EPS Guidance Upgrade – Has The Bull Case Changed?
• Positive Sentiment: Broker / analyst optimism — Northland Securities published a constructive note ahead of Q1 earnings, reinforcing the bullish analyst backdrop. Northland Securities Has Optimistic View of ECPG Q1 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum and value recognition — Zacks added ECPG to several top lists (momentum and value screens) and ran articles highlighting it as potentially undervalued and a “fast-paced mover,” which can attract both growth and value-oriented flows. Best Momentum Stock to Buy for March 2nd
• Positive Sentiment: New highs noted in press coverage — market write-ups point out ECPG climbing to new Nasdaq highs, reinforcing momentum narrative and attracting trend-following traders. Encore Capital (NASDAQ:ECPG) Climbs To New Highs Within The Nasdaq Index
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data appears unreliable — recent short-interest entries report 0 shares and “NaN” changes, indicating a data/reporting error; as presented this does not explain price movement. (No external link — source reporting appears to be dataset output.)

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.