Stephens Investment Management Group LLC Purchases 7,010 Shares of Encore Capital Group Inc (NASDAQ:ECPG)

Stephens Investment Management Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group Inc (NASDAQ:ECPG - Free Report) by 0.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,144,464 shares of the asset manager's stock after acquiring an additional 7,010 shares during the quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC owned approximately 4.83% of Encore Capital Group worth $39,232,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 120.8% in the fourth quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 530 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 290 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 13,317 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $636,000 after buying an additional 460 shares in the last quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 3.6% in the first quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management now owns 14,790 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $507,000 after buying an additional 512 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Encore Capital Group in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 827.2% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 751 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 670 shares in the last quarter.

Encore Capital Group Stock Down 5.1%

Shares of ECPG traded down $2.09 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $39.04. 356,853 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 218,329. 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 stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $38.98 and a 200 day simple moving average of $40.13. Encore Capital Group Inc has a 52 week low of $26.45 and a 52 week high of $51.77. The company has a market cap of $911.58 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.98 and a beta of 1.59.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.