Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) Price Target Raised to $108.00 at Citizens Jmp

Key Points

• Citizens Jmp raised its price target on Encore Capital Group to $108 (from $90) and kept a "market outperform" rating, implying roughly a 29% upside
• Encore materially beat Q1 expectations with EPS $3.86 vs. $3.02 and revenue $475.4M (+21% YoY), and updated FY‑2026 guidance to $13.00 EPS, above sell‑side consensus (~$11.97).
• Despite the strong results and analyst support, shares slipped about 0.8% on higher volume amid investor concerns over high leverage (debt/equity ~4.10) and constrained liquidity (current ratio ~0.68), indicating potential short‑term profit‑taking.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG - Get Free Report) had its price objective lifted by Citizens Jmp from $90.00 to $108.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "market outperform" rating on the asset manager's stock. Citizens Jmp's price target suggests a potential upside of 29.26% from the company's previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Encore Capital Group from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Encore Capital Group from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 18th. Citigroup reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Encore Capital Group in a research note on Thursday. Northland Securities set a $70.00 price objective on Encore Capital Group in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research cut Encore Capital Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $86.25.

Encore Capital Group Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of ECPG traded down $0.69 on Thursday, reaching $83.56. The stock had a trading volume of 667,672 shares, compared to its average volume of 270,091. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $73.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $59.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.61 and a beta of 1.33. Encore Capital Group has a 12-month low of $35.67 and a 12-month high of $92.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.10, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 0.68.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The asset manager reported $3.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.84. The business had revenue of $475.41 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $446.26 million. Encore Capital Group had a return on equity of 28.19% and a net margin of 14.52%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 21.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.93 earnings per share. Encore Capital Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.000-13.000 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Encore Capital Group will post 11.97 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Encore Capital Group

In other Encore Capital Group news, insider Ryan B. Bell sold 7,240 shares of Encore Capital Group stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.04, for a total value of $499,849.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 48,170 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,325,656.80. This trade represents a 13.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 2.54% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Encore Capital Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ECPG. Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 97.9% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 33,620 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $1,153,000 after purchasing an additional 16,634 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 263.0% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 68,860 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $2,361,000 after purchasing an additional 49,892 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 13,929 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $477,000 after purchasing an additional 612 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 90,910 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $3,116,000 after purchasing an additional 1,806 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 7.8% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 78,465 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $2,690,000 after purchasing an additional 5,672 shares in the last quarter.

Key Stories Impacting Encore Capital Group

Here are the key news stories impacting Encore Capital Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results materially beat expectations — EPS $3.86 (vs. $3.02/$3.26 estimates) and revenue $475.4M, up 21% year‑over‑year, showing strong top‑line and margin improvement. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Company updated FY‑2026 guidance to $13.00 EPS, well above consensus (~$11.9), signaling management confidence in earnings conversion and portfolio performance. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: Truist raised its price target to $105 and maintained a Buy rating — a roughly 30% upside from the recent price level. This adds third‑party validation to the company's outlook. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Company filed the formal press release, slide deck and held the conference call (materials available) — useful for investors wanting detail on portfolio mix, recovery timing and modeling assumptions. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the positive fundamental news, shares declined on higher volume — potential short‑term drivers include profit‑taking after a strong run, and lingering investor concern about leverage and liquidity (reported debt/equity ~4.10 and current ratio ~0.68). Higher trading volume suggests repositioning rather than a fundamental reversal. Read More.

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.

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