Key Points
- Director Laura Olle sold 1,423 shares at an average price of $52.79 on Dec. 3 for a total of $75,120.17, cutting her stake by 3.90% to 35,024 shares (SEC filing).
- Encore posted a strong quarter with $3.17 EPS versus $1.92 expected and revenue of $460.35M (up 25.4% YoY), though the company still showed a negative net margin.
- Shares traded around $53.42 with a market cap of about $1.19B and a 52-week range of $26.45–$53.78; analysts have a consensus "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $61.67.
Encore Capital Group Inc (NASDAQ:ECPG - Get Free Report) Director Laura Olle sold 1,423 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.79, for a total transaction of $75,120.17. Following the transaction, the director owned 35,024 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,848,916.96. This trade represents a 3.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.
Encore Capital Group Stock Performance
ECPG stock traded up $0.36 on Friday, hitting $53.42. The company's stock had a trading volume of 15,187 shares, compared to its average volume of 288,506. The stock has a market cap of $1.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -29.19 and a beta of 1.48. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $45.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $42.10. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.13. Encore Capital Group Inc has a 1 year low of $26.45 and a 1 year high of $53.78.
Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The asset manager reported $3.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.92 by $1.25. Encore Capital Group had a negative net margin of 2.89% and a positive return on equity of 25.27%. The company had revenue of $460.35 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $410.70 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.26 earnings per share. Encore Capital Group's quarterly revenue was up 25.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Encore Capital Group Inc will post 5.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Encore Capital Group
A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of ECPG. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Encore Capital Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised 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 acquiring an additional 635 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management acquired a new stake in Encore Capital Group in the third quarter valued at $88,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in shares of Encore Capital Group by 168.9% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,716 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $105,000 after purchasing an additional 1,706 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC boosted its position in shares of Encore Capital Group by 83.4% during the 2nd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 3,632 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $141,000 after purchasing an additional 1,652 shares in the last quarter.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several analysts have commented on ECPG shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Encore Capital Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, November 16th. Janney Montgomery Scott boosted their target price on 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. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Encore Capital Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $61.67.
Check Out Our Latest Report on Encore Capital Group
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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