Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG) Shares Sold by Broad Run Investment Management LLC

Broad Run Investment Management LLC reduced its holdings in Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG - Free Report) by 10.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 948,801 shares of the asset manager's stock after selling 113,785 shares during the period. Encore Capital Group makes up about 6.2% of Broad Run Investment Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Broad Run Investment Management LLC owned approximately 4.00% of Encore Capital Group worth $45,324,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 120.8% during the fourth quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 530 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 290 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Encore Capital Group in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Encore Capital Group by 827.2% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 751 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 670 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank lifted its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 152.5% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,333 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 805 shares in the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Encore Capital Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $84,000.

Insider Activity at Encore Capital Group

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on ECPG. StockNews.com upgraded Encore Capital Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday. Truist Financial dropped 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 report on Thursday, February 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $62.67.

Encore Capital Group Stock Up 3.7 %

Shares of ECPG traded up $1.29 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $35.71. 86,731 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 189,294. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Encore Capital Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $26.45 and a 52 week high of $51.77. The company has a market cap of $837.21 million, a PE ratio of -4.55 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $33.91 and a 200 day simple moving average of $43.37.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The asset manager reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.55 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $265.62 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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, research analysts forecast that Encore Capital Group, Inc. will post 5.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.