Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Sells 82,304 Shares of Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lowered its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG - Free Report) by 4.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,609,451 shares of the asset manager's stock after selling 82,304 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 6.79% of Encore Capital Group worth $76,883,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ECPG. Marshall Wace LLP grew its stake in Encore Capital Group by 73.1% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 318,096 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $15,195,000 after acquiring an additional 134,309 shares in the last quarter. Portolan Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Encore Capital Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $10,291,000. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 29.4% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 256,002 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $12,228,000 after purchasing an additional 58,099 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Encore Capital Group by 827.2% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 751 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 670 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its position in Encore Capital Group by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 50,605 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $2,417,000 after purchasing an additional 3,000 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Activity

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

Encore Capital Group Trading Down 6.7 %

Shares of ECPG traded down $2.37 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $33.13. The company's stock had a trading volume of 82,420 shares, compared to its average volume of 189,943. Encore Capital Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $26.45 and a 52 week high of $51.77. The stock has a market cap of $776.83 million, a PE ratio of -4.25 and a beta of 1.65. The company'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.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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). Encore Capital Group had a negative net margin of 13.91% and a positive return on equity of 12.70%. The company had revenue of $265.62 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $373.40 million. On average, analysts predict that Encore Capital Group, Inc. will post 5.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on ECPG shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Encore Capital Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Truist Financial dropped their price target on Encore Capital Group from $64.00 to $57.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $62.67.

Encore Capital Group Company 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.