Wakefield Asset Management LLLP Makes New $1.23 Million Investment in Encore Capital Group Inc $ECPG

Key Points

• Wakefield Asset Management opened a new position in Encore Capital Group, buying 22,696 shares worth about $1.23 million in the fourth quarter and taking a 0.10% stake.
• Several other institutional investors also increased their holdings, while insider Ryan B. Bell sold 7,240 shares in early March for about $499,850.
• Analysts remain generally constructive on ECPG, with a Moderate Buy consensus and a target price of $86.25; the stock recently traded at $81.62 after Encore beat quarterly EPS and revenue estimates.

Wakefield Asset Management LLLP purchased a new position in Encore Capital Group Inc (NASDAQ:ECPG - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 22,696 shares of the asset manager's stock, valued at approximately $1,234,000. Wakefield Asset Management LLLP owned 0.10% of Encore Capital Group as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 29.1% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,139 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 257 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 66,825 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $3,632,000 after acquiring an additional 326 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 70,836 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $2,957,000 after acquiring an additional 367 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 13,929 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $477,000 after acquiring an additional 612 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. boosted its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 27,166 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $1,134,000 after acquiring an additional 921 shares during the period.

Insider Activity

In other Encore Capital Group news, insider Ryan B. Bell sold 7,240 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.04, for a total value of $499,849.60. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 48,170 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,325,656.80. This represents a 13.07% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ECPG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Zacks Research cut Encore Capital Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Truist Financial upped their price target on Encore Capital Group from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Northland Securities set a $70.00 price target on Encore Capital Group in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Citigroup restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Encore Capital Group in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Citizens Jmp upped their price target on Encore Capital Group from $90.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $86.25.

Encore Capital Group Stock Performance

Shares of ECPG opened at $81.62 on Friday. The business's 50 day moving average is $75.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $61.64. Encore Capital Group Inc has a 52-week low of $35.67 and a 52-week high of $92.64. The firm has a market cap of $1.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.33 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.90.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The asset manager reported $3.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.84. Encore Capital Group had a return on equity of 30.70% and a net margin of 16.00%.The company had revenue of $475.41 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $446.26 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.93 EPS. Encore Capital Group's quarterly revenue was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. Encore Capital Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.000-13.000 EPS. Analysts forecast that Encore Capital Group Inc will post 13.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Encore Capital Group Company Profile

Encore Capital Group, Inc is a global specialty finance company that focuses on the purchase and management of nonperforming consumer receivables. Through its subsidiaries, the company acquires charged-off debt portfolios from credit card issuers, banks, and other financial institutions, and seeks to recover outstanding balances through a combination of customer outreach, payment arrangements, and, where appropriate, legal collection efforts. Encore's business model emphasizes compliance with regulatory and industry standards to ensure ethical and transparent debt-recovery practices.

Headquartered in San Diego, California, Encore operates across North America and Europe.

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