Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) Stock Rating Reaffirmed by JMP Securities

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "market outperform" rating reaffirmed by equities research analysts at JMP Securities in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $60.00 price objective on the asset manager's stock. JMP Securities' price objective suggests a potential upside of 45.56% from the company's previous close.

Separately, TheStreet cut Encore Capital Group from a "c-" rating to a "d+" rating in a research note on Monday, March 18th.

Encore Capital Group Stock Up 1.7 %

ECPG traded up $0.68 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $41.22. 249,497 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 165,880. The stock has a market capitalization of $970.73 million, a PE ratio of -4.69 and a beta of 1.36. Encore Capital Group has a 1 year low of $34.74 and a 1 year high of $54.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.54, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 0.83. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $47.12 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $46.99.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The asset manager reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $277.39 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $330.77 million. Encore Capital Group had a positive return on equity of 9.46% and a negative net margin of 16.89%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Encore Capital Group will post 5.93 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Encore Capital Group

In related news, insider Ryan B. Bell sold 5,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $275,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 42,404 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,120,200. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Encore Capital Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Encore Capital Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $452,000. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new stake in Encore Capital Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,457,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in Encore Capital Group by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 16,126 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $819,000 after buying an additional 596 shares in the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP boosted its stake in Encore Capital Group by 41.7% in the fourth quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 10,435 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $530,000 after buying an additional 3,072 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in Encore Capital Group by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 66,852 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $3,393,000 after buying an additional 609 shares in the last quarter.

Encore Capital Group Company 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.