Vanguard Group Inc. Has $87.65 Million Stake in Encore Capital Group Inc $ECPG

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. reduced its position in Encore Capital Group by 1.2%, holding 2,556,968 shares worth approximately $87.65 million after selling 32,001 shares.
• Encore Capital Group's stock rose 4.2%, with a market capitalization of $972.17 million, and the recent earnings report revealed an EPS of $2.49, surpassing expectations by $1.05.
• Wall Street analysts generally view Encore Capital Group positively, with a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $62.67 following an upgrade from a "sell" rating.

Vanguard Group Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group Inc (NASDAQ:ECPG - Free Report) by 1.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,556,968 shares of the asset manager's stock after selling 32,001 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 10.90% of Encore Capital Group worth $87,653,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 30.1% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,416,499 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $67,667,000 after acquiring an additional 327,637 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 0.6% during the first quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 1,144,464 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $39,232,000 after purchasing an additional 7,010 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. increased its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 319,210 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $15,249,000 after purchasing an additional 16,180 shares during the period. Heartland Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Encore Capital Group during the 1st quarter worth $10,118,000. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its stake in Encore Capital Group by 38.6% during the 1st quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 196,004 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $6,719,000 after acquiring an additional 54,568 shares during the period.

Encore Capital Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ECPG traded down $0.29 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $41.47. 79,200 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 288,517. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.43, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81. Encore Capital Group Inc has a twelve month low of $26.45 and a twelve month high of $51.77. The company has a market cap of $954.19 million, a PE ratio of -11.09 and a beta of 1.59. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $39.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $38.14.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The asset manager reported $2.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $1.05. Encore Capital Group had a positive return on equity of 19.61% and a negative net margin of 6.07%.The company had revenue of $442.12 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $383.42 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.34 EPS. Encore Capital Group's revenue for the quarter was up 24.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Encore Capital Group Inc will post 5.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Wall Street Zen upgraded Encore Capital Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and three have assigned a Buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $62.67.

Encore Capital Group Company 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.