Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) Releases FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 12.000-12.000 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 8.760. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Encore Capital Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ ECPG opened at $63.94 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.13, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.66. Encore Capital Group has a 1-year low of $26.45 and a 1-year high of $65.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.83 and a beta of 1.41. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $56.34 and its 200-day simple moving average is $49.28.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The asset manager reported $3.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20 by $1.17. Encore Capital Group had a net margin of 14.52% and a return on equity of 28.88%. The firm had revenue of $473.55 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $423.14 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($9.42) earnings per share. Encore Capital Group’s revenue was up 78.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Encore Capital Group will post 5.09 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Encore Capital Group from $59.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Citigroup reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Encore Capital Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Encore Capital Group in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research downgraded Encore Capital Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, 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 report on Thursday, November 6th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $75.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Laura Olle sold 1,423 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 35,024 shares in the company, valued at $1,848,916.96. This represents a 3.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Ryan B. Bell sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 trade represents a 4.32% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 2.54% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Encore Capital Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results materially beat expectations: EPS of $3.37 vs. $2.20 consensus and revenue of $473.6M (?+78% YoY). Management published the press release and slide deck and hosted a call detailing drivers of the beat. Earnings Snapshot & Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Company raised FY2026 EPS guidance to $12.00 (vs. street ~$8.76), signaling stronger forward earnings power and giving investors a clear reason to re-rate the multiple. Guidance Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are upgrading and lifting price targets: Truist raised its target to $80 (buy) and Citizens Jmp boosted its target to $90 (market outperform), reflecting renewed analyst conviction and adding upside to consensus valuations. Benzinga: Analyst Updates
• Neutral Sentiment: Company reiterated growth plans — targeting ~$1.4B–$1.5B in portfolio purchases and guiding toward ~10% EPS growth — which outline how management intends to sustain earnings but carry execution risk. Portfolio Purchase Guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors can review the full earnings call transcript and slide deck for detail on portfolio mix, reserve assumptions and collection trends to assess sustainability of the beat. Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Balance?sheet and liquidity metrics warrant attention: the company shows elevated leverage (debt/equity ~4.13) and modest current/quick ratios (~0.66), raising financial-risk considerations if macro collections weaken.

Institutional Trading of Encore Capital Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ECPG. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 78.0% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 412,498 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $22,419,000 after acquiring an additional 180,733 shares during the period. Barclays PLC raised 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 purchasing an additional 39,214 shares in the last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 170,002 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $9,240,000 after purchasing an additional 3,951 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its position in Encore Capital Group by 488.1% in the fourth 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 period. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can boosted its stake in Encore Capital Group by 10.0% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 139,465 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $7,580,000 after purchasing an additional 12,708 shares in the last quarter.

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.