Squarepoint Ops LLC Has $2.01 Million Position in Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG)

Squarepoint Ops LLC increased its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG - Free Report) by 64.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 42,095 shares of the asset manager's stock after buying an additional 16,507 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC owned 0.18% of Encore Capital Group worth $2,011,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ECPG. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Encore Capital Group by 120.8% during the fourth quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 530 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 290 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 13,317 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $636,000 after purchasing an additional 460 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Encore Capital Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Encore Capital Group by 827.2% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 751 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 670 shares during the period. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Encore Capital Group by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 14,158 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $676,000 after purchasing an additional 771 shares during the period.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ECPG has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen raised Encore Capital Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Truist Financial lowered their price target on shares of Encore Capital Group from $64.00 to $57.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $62.67.

Encore Capital Group Price Performance

Encore Capital Group stock traded down $0.34 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $37.56. 247,837 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 205,541. The firm has a market cap of $876.99 million, a PE ratio of -4.78 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $34.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $41.98. Encore Capital Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $26.45 and a 12 month high of $51.77.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The asset manager reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.24 by $0.69. The company had revenue of $392.78 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $374.49 million. Encore Capital Group had a positive return on equity of 12.70% and a negative net margin of 13.91%. Encore Capital Group's quarterly revenue was up 19.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.95 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Encore Capital Group, Inc. will post 5.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Encore Capital Group news, Director Ashwini Gupta purchased 40,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were bought at an average price of $35.10 per share, for a total transaction of $1,404,000.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 96,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,401,505.90. This trade represents a 70.29% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Ashish Masih purchased 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $35.14 per share, with a total value of $702,800.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 322,254 shares in the company, valued at $11,324,005.56. This represents a 6.62% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.54% of the company's stock.

About Encore Capital Group

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.