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

Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG) has earned an average rating of “Buy” from the four brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $65.00.

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Northland Securities boosted their price target on Encore Capital Group from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. JMP Securities upped their target price on 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. Northland Capmk raised shares of Encore Capital Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Encore Capital Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 29th.

Encore Capital Group Price Performance

ECPG opened at $50.13 on Friday. Encore Capital Group has a 52-week low of $39.64 and a 52-week high of $54.55. The company has a 50 day moving average of $48.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $47.88. The company has a market cap of $1.19 billion, a P/E ratio of -6.39 and a beta of 1.55. 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 (NASDAQ:ECPG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The asset manager reported $1.26 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.48 by ($0.22). Encore Capital Group had a negative net margin of 13.91% and a positive return on equity of 12.70%. The company had revenue of $367.07 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $360.70 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.79 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Encore Capital Group will post 5.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Laura Olle sold 1,340 shares of Encore Capital Group stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 32,381 shares in the company, valued at $1,591,849.96. This trade represents a 3.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 2.63% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Encore Capital Group

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Huntington National Bank increased its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 8,700.0% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 528 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 522 shares during the period. KBC Group NV increased its position in shares of 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 period. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Encore Capital Group in the 4th quarter worth $84,000. nVerses Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 90.9% in the third quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 2,100 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $99,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Finally, Systematic Financial Management LP bought a new position in Encore Capital Group during the third quarter valued at about $156,000.

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.