Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Grows Position in Encore Capital Group Inc $ECPG

Key Points

• Assenagon Asset Management increased its Encore Capital Group stake by 380.5% in the second quarter, ending with 56,105 shares valued at approximately $5.23 million. Other institutional investors, including Arrowstreet Capital and Jane Street, also expanded their positions.
• Encore Capital exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $2.81 in EPS versus the $2.67 consensus and $491.87 million in revenue versus $455.10 million expected. Revenue rose 11.3% year over year, and the company issued fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $13.00–$14.00.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with a consensus “Buy” rating and recent price-target increases to as high as $115. ECPG opened at $97.50, near its 12-month high of $101.79.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group Inc (NASDAQ:ECPG - Free Report) by 380.5% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 56,105 shares of the asset manager's stock after buying an additional 44,429 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned about 0.26% of Encore Capital Group worth $5,234,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of ECPG. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in Encore Capital Group by 658.2% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 334,018 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $23,421,000 after buying an additional 289,964 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Encore Capital Group by 78.0% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 412,498 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $22,419,000 after acquiring an additional 180,733 shares in the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Encore Capital Group in the fourth quarter worth $7,453,000. Jane Street Group LLC grew its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 488.1% during the 4th quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 154,128 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $8,377,000 after buying an additional 127,920 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in Encore Capital Group by 379.7% during the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 98,817 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $4,125,000 after acquiring an additional 78,217 shares in the last quarter.

Encore Capital Group Price Performance

ECPG opened at $97.50 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.38 and a beta of 1.27. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $89.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $77.48. Encore Capital Group Inc has a 12-month low of $39.94 and a 12-month high of $101.79.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Encore Capital Group news, insider John Yung sold 2,000 shares of Encore Capital Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.08, for a total transaction of $164,160.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 64,570 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,299,905.60. This trade represents a 3.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 3.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Encore Capital Group from $105.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Citigroup restated a "market outperform" rating on shares of Encore Capital Group in a research report on Tuesday. Zacks Research raised Encore Capital Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Citizens Jmp raised their price target on Encore Capital Group from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Encore Capital Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and five have given a Buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $89.75.

About Encore Capital Group

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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