Encore Capital Group Inc (NASDAQ:ECPG) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

by · The Cerbat Gem

Encore Capital Group Inc (NASDAQ:ECPG – Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the five ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $61.6667.

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Janney Montgomery Scott boosted their target price on shares of Encore Capital Group from $56.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Zacks Research upgraded Encore Capital Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Wall Street Zen cut Encore Capital Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, November 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Encore Capital Group in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on Encore Capital Group

Encore Capital Group Trading Up 3.3%

Shares of ECPG stock traded up $1.57 on Friday, hitting $49.29. 232,700 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 289,768. Encore Capital Group has a one year low of $26.45 and a one year high of $51.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.43, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $44.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $41.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -13.18 and a beta of 1.43.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The asset manager reported $3.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.92 by $1.25. Encore Capital Group had a negative net margin of 6.07% and a positive return on equity of 19.61%. The firm had revenue of $460.35 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $410.70 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.26 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 25.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Encore Capital Group will post 5.09 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Encore Capital Group

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rhumbline Advisers raised its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 70,836 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $2,957,000 after acquiring an additional 367 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 5.6% in the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 8,517 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $355,000 after acquiring an additional 448 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in Encore Capital Group by 4.6% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 13,929 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $477,000 after purchasing an additional 612 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Encore Capital Group by 345.1% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 819 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 635 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Encore Capital Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000.

About Encore Capital Group

(Get Free Report)

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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