Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) Price Target Raised to $80.00

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) had its price target hoisted by Truist Financial from $59.00 to $80.00 in a research report report published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the asset manager’s stock.

ECPG has been the subject of several other research reports. Northland Securities set a $70.00 price objective on shares of Encore Capital Group in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Encore Capital Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Encore Capital Group in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Janney Montgomery Scott raised their price target on Encore Capital Group from $56.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Encore Capital Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $75.50.

Encore Capital Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ ECPG opened at $68.29 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.13. The stock has a market cap of $1.46 billion, a PE ratio of 6.23 and a beta of 1.41. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $56.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $49.54. Encore Capital Group has a twelve month low of $26.45 and a twelve month high of $68.75.

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. The business had revenue of $473.55 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $423.14 million. Encore Capital Group had a net margin of 14.52% and a return on equity of 28.88%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 78.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned ($9.42) earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Encore Capital Group will post 5.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Encore Capital Group

In related news, Director Laura Olle sold 1,423 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $1,848,916.96. The trade was a 3.90% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Ryan B. Bell sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.00, for a total transaction of $137,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 55,410 shares in the company, valued at $3,047,550. This represents a 4.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 2.54% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Encore Capital Group

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Encore Capital Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $201,000. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its stake in Encore Capital Group by 76.5% in the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 9,053 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $492,000 after acquiring an additional 3,924 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in Encore Capital Group by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 102,502 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $5,571,000 after acquiring an additional 3,951 shares during the period. XTX Topco Ltd raised its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 18.2% in the 4th quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 6,915 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $376,000 after acquiring an additional 1,063 shares during the last quarter. Finally, VARCOV Co. purchased a new position in shares of Encore Capital Group during the 4th quarter worth $599,000.

Encore Capital Group News Roundup

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

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.