Brokerages Set Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG) PT at $65.00

Shares of Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG) have been given a consensus rating of “Buy” by the four analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $65.00.

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. JMP Securities boosted their price objective on Encore Capital Group from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. StockNews.com raised shares of Encore Capital Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 29th. Northland Securities boosted their target price 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. Finally, Northland Capmk upgraded Encore Capital Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th.

Encore Capital Group Trading Up 1.1 %

NASDAQ:ECPG opened at $47.54 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $1.13 billion, a PE ratio of -6.06 and a beta of 1.55. The business’s 50 day moving average is $48.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.05. 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 has a 52 week low of $39.64 and a 52 week high of $54.55.

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

Insider Transactions at Encore Capital Group

In related news, Director Laura Olle sold 1,340 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.16, for a total transaction of $65,874.40. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 2.63% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Huntington National Bank raised its stake in Encore Capital Group by 8,700.0% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 528 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 522 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Encore Capital Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. nVerses Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Encore Capital Group by 450.0% during the 2nd quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 1,100 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 54.9% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,365 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 484 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Systematic Financial Management LP acquired a new position in Encore Capital Group in the third quarter valued at about $156,000.

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.