Encore Capital Group Inc (NASDAQ:ECPG) Stock Position Raised by Homestead Advisers Corp

Homestead Advisers Corp grew its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group Inc (NASDAQ:ECPG - Free Report) by 15.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 133,983 shares of the asset manager's stock after buying an additional 17,700 shares during the quarter. Homestead Advisers Corp owned approximately 0.57% of Encore Capital Group worth $4,593,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of ECPG. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Encore Capital Group by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,588,969 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $123,675,000 after purchasing an additional 16,663 shares in the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Encore Capital Group by 30.1% in the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,416,499 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $67,667,000 after purchasing an additional 327,637 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC lifted its stake in Encore Capital Group by 0.6% in the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Encore Capital Group by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 387,550 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $18,513,000 after buying an additional 1,968 shares in the last quarter. Finally, D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. raised its position in shares of Encore Capital Group by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 319,210 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $15,249,000 after buying an additional 16,180 shares in the last quarter.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Encore Capital Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $62.67.

Encore Capital Group Stock Performance

Shares of Encore Capital Group stock traded up $0.48 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $39.20. 155,950 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 220,255. Encore Capital Group Inc has a 1 year low of $26.45 and a 1 year high of $51.77. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.63. The business has a 50-day moving average of $39.16 and a 200-day moving average of $39.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $915.32 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.02 and a beta of 1.59.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The asset manager reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.24 by $0.69. The company had revenue of $392.78 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $374.49 million. Encore Capital Group had a positive return on equity of 16.18% and a negative net margin of 8.38%. Encore Capital Group's quarterly revenue was up 19.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.95 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Encore Capital Group Inc will post 5.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.