Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG) Shares Sold by Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG - Free Report) by 61.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 57,672 shares of the asset manager's stock after selling 91,370 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.24% of Encore Capital Group worth $2,755,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,588,969 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $123,675,000 after acquiring an additional 16,663 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 900,677 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $42,575,000 after purchasing an additional 2,597 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 16.0% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 756,335 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $35,752,000 after purchasing an additional 104,509 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 2.5% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 570,047 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $26,952,000 after purchasing an additional 13,648 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 512,042 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $24,460,000 after buying an additional 30,545 shares in the last quarter.

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Encore Capital Group Price Performance

Shares of ECPG traded down $2.22 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $31.32. 483,728 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 177,821. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39. Encore Capital Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $29.84 and a 52-week high of $51.77. The company has a market cap of $742.00 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.99 and a beta of 1.73. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $41.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $45.53.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The asset manager reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.55 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $265.62 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $373.40 million. Encore Capital Group had a positive return on equity of 12.70% and a negative net margin of 13.91%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Encore Capital Group, Inc. will post 5.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Encore Capital Group

In other news, CEO Ashish Masih bought 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $35.14 per share, for a total transaction of $702,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 322,254 shares in the company, valued at $11,324,005.56. The trade was a 6.62 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Ashwini Gupta bought 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $35.10 per share, with a total value of $1,404,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 96,909 shares in the company, valued at $3,401,505.90. This trade represents a 70.29 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 2.63% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on ECPG. Northland Securities lifted their price target on shares of Encore Capital Group from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. StockNews.com cut Encore Capital Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their target price on Encore Capital Group from $64.00 to $57.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Encore Capital Group currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $62.67.

Encore Capital Group Company Profile

Encore Capital Group, Inc, a specialty finance company, provides debt recovery solutions and other related services for consumers across financial assets worldwide. The company purchases portfolios of defaulted consumer receivables at deep discounts to face value, as well as manages them by working with individuals as they repay their obligations and works toward financial recovery.