Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) Sets New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

Encore Capital Group Inc (NASDAQ:ECPG)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $59.59 and last traded at $58.2290, with a volume of 36515 shares. The stock had previously closed at $57.29.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on ECPG. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Encore Capital Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, November 16th. Janney Montgomery Scott upped their target price on Encore Capital Group from $56.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Zacks Research downgraded Encore Capital Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Northland Securities set a $70.00 price objective on Encore Capital Group in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Encore Capital Group in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.00.

Encore Capital Group Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.13, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.66. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $55.73 and a two-hundred day moving average of $48.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.30 billion, a P/E ratio of -31.90 and a beta of 1.41.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Encore Capital Group news, Director Laura Olle sold 1,423 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.79, for a total transaction of $75,120.17. Following the sale, the director owned 35,024 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,848,916.96. The trade was a 3.90% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Ryan B. Bell sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.00, for a total value of $137,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 55,410 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,047,550. The trade was a 4.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,923 shares of company stock valued at $264,620. Insiders own 2.54% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Encore Capital Group

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC grew its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 4.8% during the third quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 1,308,252 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $54,606,000 after acquiring an additional 59,421 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 583,148 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $22,577,000 after purchasing an additional 14,353 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 78.0% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 412,498 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $22,419,000 after purchasing an additional 180,733 shares in the last quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 10.0% in the 4th quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. now owns 385,830 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $20,970,000 after purchasing an additional 34,980 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 11.8% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 371,916 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $20,214,000 after buying an additional 39,214 shares in the last quarter.

Encore Capital Group Company 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.