Heartland Advisors Inc. Increases Holdings in Encore Capital Group Inc $ECPG

Heartland Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Encore Capital Group Inc (NASDAQ:ECPG) by 17.7% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 350,850 shares of the asset manager’s stock after buying an additional 52,700 shares during the period. Heartland Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Encore Capital Group were worth $14,644,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ECPG. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 9.1% in the second quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 1,248,831 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $48,342,000 after acquiring an additional 104,367 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 476.6% in the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 92,978 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $3,599,000 after purchasing an additional 76,852 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in Encore Capital Group by 383.0% during the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 66,499 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $2,776,000 after purchasing an additional 52,730 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 263.0% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 68,860 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $2,361,000 after buying an additional 49,892 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 525.6% in the 2nd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 47,837 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,852,000 after buying an additional 40,191 shares during the period.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Citizens Jmp raised their target price on Encore Capital Group from $59.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Zacks Research lowered Encore Capital Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Northland Securities set a $70.00 target price on shares of Encore Capital Group in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Janney Montgomery Scott boosted their target price on shares of Encore Capital Group from $56.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, Citigroup reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Encore Capital Group in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Encore Capital Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $66.00.

Encore Capital Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ECPG opened at $57.47 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.13, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 0.66. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $55.67 and a 200 day moving average of $48.26. The firm has a market cap of $1.28 billion, a PE ratio of -31.40 and a beta of 1.41. Encore Capital Group Inc has a one year low of $26.45 and a one year high of $59.20.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Ryan B. Bell sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.00, for a total value of $137,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 55,410 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,047,550. This trade represents a 4.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Laura Olle sold 1,423 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.79, for a total value of $75,120.17. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 35,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,848,916.96. The trade was a 3.90% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 4,923 shares of company stock worth $264,620 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 2.63% of the company’s stock.

Encore Capital Group Profile

Encore Capital Group, Inc is a global specialty finance company that focuses on the purchase and management of nonperforming consumer receivables. Through its subsidiaries, the company acquires charged-off debt portfolios from credit card issuers, banks, and other financial institutions, and seeks to recover outstanding balances through a combination of customer outreach, payment arrangements, and, where appropriate, legal collection efforts. Encore’s business model emphasizes compliance with regulatory and industry standards to ensure ethical and transparent debt-recovery practices.

Headquartered in San Diego, California, Encore operates across North America and Europe.