Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) Reaches New 12-Month High – Here’s Why

Shares of Encore Capital Group Inc (NASDAQ:ECPG) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $92.93 and last traded at $92.9120, with a volume of 243325 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $90.62.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Citizens Jmp raised their price objective on 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. Truist Financial increased their price target on Encore Capital Group from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Encore Capital Group in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. Wall Street Zen lowered Encore Capital Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Encore Capital Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Monday, June 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $88.00.

Encore Capital Group Stock Up 2.4%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.90, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.90. The company has a market capitalization of $1.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.20 and a beta of 1.30. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $82.14 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $68.86.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The asset manager reported $3.86 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.84. Encore Capital Group had a return on equity of 30.70% and a net margin of 16.00%.The firm had revenue of $475.41 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $446.26 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.93 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 21.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Encore Capital Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.000-13.000 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Encore Capital Group Inc will post 13.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Encore Capital Group

In related news, insider John Yung sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.08, for a total transaction of $164,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 64,570 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,299,905.60. This represents a 3.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Encore Capital Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ECPG. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Encore Capital Group by 78.0% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 412,498 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $22,419,000 after acquiring an additional 180,733 shares during the last quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. raised its position in Encore Capital Group by 0.7% during the first quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. now owns 388,425 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $27,236,000 after acquiring an additional 2,595 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in Encore Capital Group by 11.8% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 371,916 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $20,214,000 after acquiring an additional 39,214 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in shares of Encore Capital Group by 658.2% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 334,018 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $23,421,000 after acquiring an additional 289,964 shares during the period. Finally, Royce & Associates LP increased its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 204,970 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $8,555,000 after purchasing an additional 5,030 shares during 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.