Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG) Shares Bought by Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG) by 4.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 481,497 shares of the asset manager’s stock after buying an additional 18,467 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned about 2.03% of Encore Capital Group worth $22,760,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Encore Capital Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $409,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Encore Capital Group by 177.0% during the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 22,550 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $1,066,000 after purchasing an additional 14,409 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 5.3% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 84,812 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $4,009,000 after purchasing an additional 4,288 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank boosted its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 8,700.0% in the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 528 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 54.9% in the third 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 in the last quarter.

Insider Activity at Encore Capital Group

In other Encore Capital Group 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 transaction, the director now 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 filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 2.63% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Encore Capital Group Trading Down 2.0 %

NASDAQ ECPG opened at $48.57 on Friday. 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 firm has a market cap of $1.15 billion, a PE ratio of -6.31 and a beta of 1.55. Encore Capital Group, Inc. has a one year low of $39.64 and a one year high of $54.55. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $47.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $46.30.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $360.70 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.79 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 18.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Encore Capital Group, Inc. will post 5.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ECPG has been the topic of a number of research reports. JMP Securities increased their target price on shares of 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 upgraded Encore Capital Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 29th. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on Encore Capital Group from $70.00 to $64.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Northland Securities raised Encore Capital Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $55.00 to $58.00 in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Northland Capmk upgraded Encore Capital Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $62.33.

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.