Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG) Shares Sold by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. trimmed its stake in Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG - Free Report) by 26.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 49,008 shares of the asset manager's stock after selling 17,381 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned about 0.21% of Encore Capital Group worth $2,341,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Jane Street Group LLC grew its stake in Encore Capital Group by 191.7% in the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 49,719 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $2,350,000 after purchasing an additional 32,672 shares in the last quarter. Sigma Planning Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 317.0% in the 4th quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 13,080 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $625,000 after buying an additional 9,943 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Encore Capital Group by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 512,042 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $24,460,000 after buying an additional 30,545 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,588,969 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $123,675,000 after buying an additional 16,663 shares during the period. Finally, Semanteon Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Encore Capital Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $643,000.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Encore Capital Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on shares of 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 research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Encore Capital Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $62.67.

Encore Capital Group Stock Up 2.8 %

NASDAQ:ECPG traded up $0.91 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $33.92. 79,144 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 187,199. The stock has a market capitalization of $803.60 million, a PE ratio of -4.32 and a beta of 1.58. Encore Capital Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $26.45 and a 12-month high of $51.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.11. The business has a 50-day moving average of $35.75 and a two-hundred day moving average of $43.78.

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 for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.55 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $265.62 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $373.40 million. Encore Capital Group had a positive return on equity of 12.70% and a negative net margin of 13.91%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Encore Capital Group, Inc. will post 5.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Encore Capital Group

In other news, CEO Ashish Masih bought 20,000 shares of Encore Capital Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was bought at an average price of $35.14 per share, for a total transaction of $702,800.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 322,254 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,324,005.56. The trade was a 6.62 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ashwini Gupta purchased 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 purchase, the director now owns 96,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 currently 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.