Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Buy" by Brokerages

Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG - Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of "Buy" from the four brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $65.00.

A number of research firms have weighed in on ECPG. Northland Capmk upgraded Encore Capital Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Northland Securities upped their target price on shares of Encore Capital Group from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. JMP Securities lifted their price target on shares of Encore Capital Group from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Encore Capital Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, November 29th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Laura Olle sold 1,340 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.16, for a total value of $65,874.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 32,381 shares in the company, valued at $1,591,849.96. The trade was a 3.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 2.63% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 0.5% in the third quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 1,137,752 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $53,782,000 after purchasing an additional 5,373 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings 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 valued at $42,575,000 after buying an additional 2,597 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake 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 worth $35,752,000 after buying an additional 104,509 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings 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 worth $26,952,000 after acquiring an additional 13,648 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Encore Capital Group by 4.0% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 481,497 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $22,760,000 after acquiring an additional 18,467 shares during the last quarter.

Encore Capital Group Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ ECPG traded down $0.24 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $49.97. The company's stock had a trading volume of 115,465 shares, compared to its average volume of 106,722. Encore Capital Group has a 12 month low of $39.64 and a 12 month high of $54.55. The stock has a market cap of $1.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.37 and a beta of 1.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.11. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $48.26 and a 200-day simple moving average of $47.81.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The asset manager reported $1.26 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.48 by ($0.22). The business had revenue of $367.07 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $360.70 million. Encore Capital Group had a negative net margin of 13.91% and a positive return on equity of 12.70%. Encore Capital Group's revenue was up 18.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.79 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Encore Capital Group will post 5.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.