Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) Sets New 1-Year High - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Encore Capital Group shares reached a new 52-week high, trading around $104.30 and up significantly from its 50-day and 200-day moving averages.
• Analysts maintain a consensus “Buy” rating, with several firms raising price targets to between $112 and $115, although the average target of $89.75 is below the current share price.
• The company exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $2.81 EPS versus $2.67 expected and $491.87 million in revenue, up 11.3% year over year; management guided to fiscal 2026 EPS of $13–$14.

Encore Capital Group Inc (NASDAQ:ECPG - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $103.76 and last traded at $104.2990, with a volume of 258094 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $103.74.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on ECPG. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Encore Capital Group from a "hold (c)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Citigroup reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating on shares of Encore Capital Group in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Encore Capital Group from $105.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Encore Capital Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Citizens Jmp boosted their target price on shares of Encore Capital Group from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and five have issued a Buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $89.75.

Encore Capital Group Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $2.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.85 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.87, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $90.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $78.14.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The asset manager reported $2.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.67 by $0.14. Encore Capital Group had a net margin of 15.86% and a return on equity of 29.83%. The business had revenue of $491.87 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $455.10 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.49 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. Encore Capital Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.000-14.000 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Encore Capital Group Inc will post 13.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Encore Capital Group

In related news, insider John Yung sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.08, for a total value of $164,160.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 64,570 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,299,905.60. The trade was a 3.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Encore Capital Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 1,729.6% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 494 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 467 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Encore Capital Group by 185.7% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 717 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 466 shares during the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas bought a new position in Encore Capital Group in the 1st quarter valued at $46,000. Allworth Financial LP increased its position in shares of Encore Capital Group by 29.1% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,139 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its stake in Encore Capital Group by 168.9% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,716 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $105,000 after acquiring an additional 1,706 shares during the last quarter.

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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