Key Points
- Insider sale: Director Ryan Bell sold 2,500 shares on Dec. 10 at an average price of $55 (proceeds $137,500), trimming his stake by 4.32% to 55,410 shares; the transaction was disclosed in an SEC filing.
- Business and market context: Encore beat expectations in its most recent quarter — $3.17 EPS vs. $1.92 estimate and $460.35M revenue (+25.4% YoY) — yet it carries a negative net margin and high debt-to-equity (4.13); the stock trades near its 12‑month high and has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average target of $61.67.
Encore Capital Group Inc (NASDAQ:ECPG - Get Free Report) insider Ryan Bell sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.00, for a total transaction of $137,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 55,410 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,047,550. This represents a 4.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.
Encore Capital Group Stock Up 1.6%
Shares of NASDAQ:ECPG opened at $56.22 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.25 billion, a P/E ratio of -30.66 and a beta of 1.48. Encore Capital Group Inc has a 12-month low of $26.45 and a 12-month high of $56.67. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $46.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $42.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.13.
Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The asset manager reported $3.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $1.25. Encore Capital Group had a positive return on equity of 25.27% and a negative net margin of 2.89%.The company had revenue of $460.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $410.70 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.26 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 25.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Encore Capital Group Inc will post 5.09 earnings per share for the current year.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Encore Capital Group
A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Encore Capital Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 345.1% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 819 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 635 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Encore Capital Group during the third quarter valued at about $88,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its position in shares of Encore Capital Group by 168.9% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,716 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $105,000 after acquiring an additional 1,706 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC raised its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 83.4% in the 2nd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 3,632 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $141,000 after acquiring an additional 1,652 shares during the last quarter.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
ECPG has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Encore Capital Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, November 16th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Encore Capital Group in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Janney Montgomery Scott lifted their target price on shares of Encore Capital Group from $56.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Encore Capital Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Encore Capital Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $61.67.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on ECPG
Encore Capital Group Company Profile
(
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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