Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) Downgraded by Zacks Research to “Hold”

Zacks Research lowered shares of Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Zacks reports.

ECPG has been the topic of several other research reports. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Encore Capital Group from $105.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Citizens Jmp boosted their price objective on shares of Encore Capital Group from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Encore Capital Group from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Encore Capital Group in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Encore Capital Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $89.75.

Encore Capital Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ECPG opened at $99.19 on Monday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $97.98 and a two-hundred day moving average of $87.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.10 billion, a PE ratio of 7.51 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.87, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.96. Encore Capital Group has a 12 month low of $39.94 and a 12 month high of $104.98.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $491.87 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $455.10 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.49 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Encore Capital Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.000-14.000 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Encore Capital Group will post 13.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Encore Capital Group

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Encore Capital Group during the second quarter valued at about $343,229,000. Heartland Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Encore Capital Group in the second quarter worth about $33,848,000. Amundi boosted its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 3,134.1% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 304,202 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $28,379,000 after purchasing an additional 294,796 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in Encore Capital Group by 658.2% during the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 334,018 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $23,421,000 after purchasing an additional 289,964 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in Encore Capital Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $11,664,000.

Encore Capital Group Company Profile

Encore Capital Group, Inc is a global specialty finance company that purchases portfolios of charged-off consumer receivables and works with individuals to resolve their outstanding obligations. The company manages these accounts through a range of repayment solutions, including flexible payment arrangements and other servicing programs designed to help consumers address unpaid debts.

Encore operates primarily through Midland Credit Management in the United States and Cabot Credit Management in Europe and other international markets.