Aquatic Capital Management LLC Increases Holdings in Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG)

Aquatic Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG - Free Report) by 2,576.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,030 shares of the asset manager's stock after buying an additional 7,730 shares during the quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC's holdings in Encore Capital Group were worth $384,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 22.9% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 197,903 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $9,355,000 after purchasing an additional 36,822 shares during the period. Sheets Smith Wealth Management raised its stake in Encore Capital Group by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management now owns 14,278 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $682,000 after buying an additional 416 shares during the last quarter. Janney Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 35.8% in the fourth quarter. Janney Capital Management LLC now owns 9,754 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $466,000 after acquiring an additional 2,570 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Encore Capital Group in the fourth quarter worth $84,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 89,104 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $4,256,000 after acquiring an additional 4,292 shares in the last quarter.

Encore Capital Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ECPG traded down $0.15 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $35.50. The company's stock had a trading volume of 206,014 shares, compared to its average volume of 190,317. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $33.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $43.17. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39. The stock has a market cap of $832.40 million, a P/E ratio of -4.52 and a beta of 1.65. Encore Capital Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $26.45 and a 12-month high of $51.77.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The asset manager reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.55 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $265.62 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $373.40 million. Encore Capital Group had a negative net margin of 13.91% and a positive return on equity of 12.70%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Encore Capital Group, Inc. will post 5.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Truist Financial cut their price objective on shares of Encore Capital Group from $64.00 to $57.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Encore Capital Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $62.67.

Insider Activity at Encore Capital Group

In other Encore Capital Group news, CEO Ashish Masih bought 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $35.14 per share, for a total transaction of $702,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 322,254 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,324,005.56. This represents a 6.62 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Ashwini Gupta bought 40,000 shares of Encore Capital Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $35.10 per share, with a total value of $1,404,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 96,909 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,401,505.90. The trade was a 70.29 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 2.63% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Encore Capital Group Profile

Encore Capital Group, Inc, a specialty finance company, provides debt recovery solutions and other related services for consumers across financial assets worldwide. The company purchases portfolios of defaulted consumer receivables at deep discounts to face value, as well as manages them by working with individuals as they repay their obligations and works toward financial recovery.