Stephens Investment Management Group LLC Grows Stock Position in Encore Capital Group Inc $ECPG

Key Points

• Stephens Investment Management Group LLC increased its stock position in Encore Capital Group Inc by 9.1%, holding a total of 1,248,831 shares valued at approximately $48.34 million.
• Several institutional investors, including GAMMA Investing LLC and CWM LLC, significantly boosted their stakes in Encore Capital Group, with GAMMA increasing its position by 345.1%.
• Encore Capital Group reported a strong quarterly earnings performance, posting an earnings per share (EPS) of $2.49, exceeding expectations, with revenue rising 24.4% year-over-year to $442.12 million.

Stephens Investment Management Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group Inc (NASDAQ:ECPG - Free Report) by 9.1% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,248,831 shares of the asset manager's stock after buying an additional 104,367 shares during the period. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC owned about 5.35% of Encore Capital Group worth $48,342,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ECPG. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 345.1% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 819 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 635 shares during the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Encore Capital Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $228,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 31.3% in the 1st quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 6,880 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $236,000 after purchasing an additional 1,642 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 1,677.3% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 6,096 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $236,000 after purchasing an additional 5,753 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 18.8% in the 1st quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 9,970 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $342,000 after purchasing an additional 1,580 shares in the last quarter.

Encore Capital Group Trading Up 2.0%

ECPG stock opened at $42.90 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.43. Encore Capital Group Inc has a 12-month low of $26.45 and a 12-month high of $51.77. The stock has a market cap of $987.21 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -11.47 and a beta of 1.48. The business's 50-day moving average is $42.71 and its 200 day moving average is $39.05.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The asset manager reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 analysts' expectations of $383.42 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.34 EPS. Encore Capital Group's revenue was up 24.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Encore Capital Group Inc will post 5.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on ECPG. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Encore Capital Group in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research upgraded Encore Capital Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Encore Capital Group presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $62.67.

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.

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