Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to Strong-Buy Rating

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Saturday.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Janney Montgomery Scott increased their price target on shares of Encore Capital Group from $56.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. 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 note on Thursday. Citigroup reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Encore Capital Group in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Northland Securities set a $70.00 price target on Encore Capital Group in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Citizens Jmp upped their price target on Encore Capital Group from $75.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Encore Capital Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $75.50.

Encore Capital Group Price Performance

ECPG opened at $68.29 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. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $56.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $49.54. The firm has a market cap of $1.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.23 and a beta of 1.41. Encore Capital Group has a 1 year low of $26.45 and a 1 year high of $68.75.

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

Insider Activity at Encore Capital Group

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 value of $75,120.17. Following the sale, the director directly owned 35,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,848,916.96. This represents a 3.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Ryan B. Bell sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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. 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.

Institutional Trading of Encore Capital Group

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. IFP Advisors Inc grew its position in shares of Encore Capital Group by 1,729.6% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 494 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 467 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Encore Capital Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 185.7% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 717 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 466 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in shares of Encore Capital Group by 29.1% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,139 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Encore Capital Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $88,000.

Trending Headlines about Encore Capital Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Big Q4 beat: Encore reported $3.37 GAAP EPS vs. $2.20 consensus and revenue of $473.6M vs. $423.1M, with revenue up ~78% y/y — evidence of accelerating core performance that supports valuation re?rating. MarketBeat Q4 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Very strong FY?2026 guidance: Management set EPS guidance at $12.00 for FY?2026 (consensus ~$8.76), signaling materially higher earnings power and margin leverage going forward — a primary driver of the rally. Seeking Alpha Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades / price?target raises: Citizens Jmp raised its PT to $90 (market outperform) and Truist raised its PT to $80 (buy), reflecting renewed analyst confidence and providing upward price momentum. Benzinga PT Raises
• Positive Sentiment: Management growth plans: Encore expects ~10% EPS growth to $12 in 2026 and is targeting $1.4B–$1.5B in portfolio purchases — indicating management is accelerating asset acquisition to sustain future revenue and earnings growth. Earnings Presentation
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor materials available: Full earnings slide deck and the Q4 earnings call transcript are published (useful for modeling and Q&A details). Earnings Transcript

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.