Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG) Shares Sold by SG Americas Securities LLC

SG Americas Securities LLC lessened its position in Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG - Free Report) by 33.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 11,357 shares of the asset manager's stock after selling 5,769 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC's holdings in Encore Capital Group were worth $543,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ECPG. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 0.5% during 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 period. State Street Corp boosted 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 worth $42,575,000 after buying an additional 2,597 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of Encore Capital Group by 16.0% in the third 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 last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 570,047 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $26,952,000 after buying an additional 13,648 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 4.0% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 481,497 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $22,760,000 after acquiring an additional 18,467 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Transactions at Encore Capital Group

In other news, Director Laura Olle sold 1,340 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director now owns 32,381 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,591,849.96. The trade was a 3.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 2.63% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Encore Capital Group Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of Encore Capital Group stock opened at $49.50 on Friday. 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 12 month low of $39.64 and a 12 month high of $54.55. The stock has a market cap of $1.17 billion, a PE ratio of -6.31 and a beta of 1.55. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $48.38 and a 200 day simple moving average of $47.93.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ECPG has been the topic of several recent research reports. StockNews.com raised Encore Capital Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, November 29th. Northland Securities upped their price objective on shares of Encore Capital Group from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. Northland Capmk upgraded Encore Capital Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, JMP Securities boosted their price objective on shares of Encore Capital Group from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Encore Capital Group presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $65.00.

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.

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