Analysts Set Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG) Price Target at $62.67

Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Buy" from the four analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $62.67.

ECPG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Northland Securities upped their price objective on shares of Encore Capital Group from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of Encore Capital Group from $64.00 to $57.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Encore Capital Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th.

Encore Capital Group Trading Up 1.8 %

Encore Capital Group stock traded up $0.61 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $34.51. The company's stock had a trading volume of 202,363 shares, compared to its average volume of 171,042. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The stock has a market cap of $817.58 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.40 and a beta of 1.73. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $44.92 and a 200-day moving average price of $46.58. Encore Capital Group has a 12 month low of $31.54 and a 12 month high of $51.77.

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Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The asset manager reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.55 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $265.62 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $373.40 million. Encore Capital Group had a positive return on equity of 12.70% and a negative net margin of 13.91%. As a group, analysts forecast that Encore Capital Group will post 5.09 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Encore Capital Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 30.1% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,416,499 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $67,667,000 after buying an additional 327,637 shares during the last quarter. Portolan Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Encore Capital Group during the 4th quarter valued at $10,291,000. Phase 2 Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Encore Capital Group by 219.9% during the 3rd quarter. Phase 2 Partners LLC now owns 241,509 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $11,416,000 after purchasing an additional 166,014 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP raised its position in shares of Encore Capital Group by 73.1% during the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 318,096 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $15,195,000 after purchasing an additional 134,309 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Encore Capital Group by 16.0% during 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 during the period.

About Encore Capital Group

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.