Encore Capital Group Inc (NASDAQ:ECPG) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Encore Capital Group Inc (NASDAQ:ECPG) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $89.75.

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Encore Capital Group from $105.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Encore Capital Group from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Encore Capital Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Citizens Jmp raised their price target on shares of Encore Capital Group from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Encore Capital Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th.

Trending Headlines about Encore Capital Group

Here are the key news stories impacting Encore Capital Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong revenue and collections: Second-quarter revenue reached $491.9 million, exceeding the $455.1 million consensus estimate and increasing 11.3% year over year. Record global collections and strong U.S. execution supported the result. ECPG Q2 Earnings Miss Despite Year-over-Year Revenue Growth and Record Collections
• Positive Sentiment: 2026 outlook reaffirmed at a favorable level: Encore issued full-year 2026 EPS guidance of $13.00 to $14.00, with the midpoint above the roughly $13.01 analyst consensus. This indicates management remains confident despite quarterly earnings variability. Encore Capital Group Earnings Report
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst price target increased: Truist Financial raised its target from $105 to $112 and maintained a Buy rating, signaling additional potential upside based on Encore’s operating momentum and valuation. Encore Capital Group Price Target Raised to $112 at Truist Financial
• Positive Sentiment: Northland raised several estimates: Northland Securities increased its FY2026 EPS forecast to $13.50 from $13.00 and lifted its Q3 2026 estimate to $3.20 from $3.04. It also made modest upward revisions to estimates for Q2 and Q3 2027.
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarterly earnings comparisons are mixed: Encore reported $2.81 EPS, above the MarketBeat consensus of $2.67 and the prior-year $2.49, although Zacks characterized the result as below its $3.07 consensus. Northland made only a minor reduction to its Q4 2027 EPS forecast, suggesting limited impact on longer-term expectations. Encore Capital Group Lags Q2 Earnings Estimates

Insider Activity at Encore Capital Group

In other news, insider John Yung sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.08, for a total transaction of $164,160.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 64,570 shares in the company, valued at $5,299,905.60. This trade represents a 3.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 3.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Encore Capital Group

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Encore Capital Group during the second quarter valued at $343,229,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 658.2% during the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 334,018 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $23,421,000 after purchasing an additional 289,964 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 78.0% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 412,498 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $22,419,000 after purchasing an additional 180,733 shares in the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Encore Capital Group during the 4th quarter worth about $7,453,000. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC raised its position in shares of Encore Capital Group by 488.1% during the 4th quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 154,128 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $8,377,000 after purchasing an additional 127,920 shares during the last quarter.

Encore Capital Group Stock Up 2.4%

Shares of ECPG opened at $100.20 on Friday. Encore Capital Group has a 52 week low of $38.68 and a 52 week high of $101.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.87. The company has a market capitalization of $2.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.59 and a beta of 1.27. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $88.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $76.50.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The asset manager reported $2.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.67 by $0.14. Encore Capital Group had a return on equity of 29.83% and a net margin of 15.86%.The company had revenue of $491.87 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $455.10 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.49 earnings per share. Encore Capital Group’s quarterly revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. Encore Capital Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.000-14.000 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Encore Capital Group will post 13.57 EPS for the current year.

About Encore Capital Group

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.