Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) Receives Market Outperform Rating from JMP Securities

JMP Securities restated their market outperform rating on shares of Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) in a research report report published on Monday morning, Benzinga reports. JMP Securities currently has a $60.00 target price on the asset manager’s stock.

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

Encore Capital Group Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of ECPG stock opened at $43.32 on Monday. Encore Capital Group has a 12-month low of $34.74 and a 12-month high of $54.73. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $44.89 and a 200-day moving average of $46.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.54, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.83.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The asset manager reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.22 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $277.39 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $330.77 million. Encore Capital Group had a positive return on equity of 9.46% and a negative net margin of 16.89%. On average, analysts predict that Encore Capital Group will post 5.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Encore Capital Group news, insider Ryan B. Bell sold 5,500 shares of Encore Capital Group stock in a transaction on Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $275,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 42,404 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,120,200. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 2.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Encore Capital Group

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ECPG. Assetmark Inc. boosted its position in shares of Encore Capital Group by 19.4% in the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,422 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $72,000 after acquiring an additional 231 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in shares of Encore Capital Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $206,000. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Encore Capital Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $209,000. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Encore Capital Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $211,000. Finally, M&T Bank Corp bought a new stake in shares of Encore Capital Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $223,000.

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.