Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) Sets New 1-Year High Following Analyst Upgrade

Encore Capital Group Inc (NASDAQ:ECPG)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Monday after Zacks Research upgraded the stock from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating. The company traded as high as $101.80 and last traded at $99.63, with a volume of 377372 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $100.20.

ECPG has been the subject of several other reports. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Encore Capital Group from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of Encore Capital Group in a report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen downgraded Encore Capital Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Truist Financial raised their price target on Encore Capital Group from $105.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Citizens Jmp boosted their price objective 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and five have given a Buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Encore Capital Group currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.75.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Encore Capital Group news, insider John Yung sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.08, for a total value of $164,160.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 64,570 shares in the company, valued at $5,299,905.60. This represents a 3.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Encore Capital Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $7,453,000. Wakefield Asset Management LLLP purchased a new stake in shares of Encore Capital Group during the 4th quarter valued at $1,234,000. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL bought a new stake in shares of Encore Capital Group during the 3rd quarter worth $586,000. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 99.6% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 25,045 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $1,361,000 after acquiring an additional 12,499 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in Encore Capital Group by 658.2% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 334,018 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $23,421,000 after acquiring an additional 289,964 shares in the last quarter.

Encore Capital Group Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $1.98 billion, a PE ratio of 7.08 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.87. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $88.92 and its 200-day moving average is $77.19.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The asset manager reported $2.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.67 by $0.14. Encore Capital Group had a return on equity of 29.83% and a net margin of 15.86%.The business had revenue of $491.87 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $455.10 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.49 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. Encore Capital Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.000-14.000 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Encore Capital Group Inc will post 13.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Encore Capital Group Company Profile

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.