Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG) Holdings Lifted by Intech Investment Management LLC

Intech Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG) by 37.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,892 shares of the asset manager’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,233 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Encore Capital Group were worth $568,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Encore Capital Group by 177.0% in the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 22,550 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $1,066,000 after purchasing an additional 14,409 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Encore Capital Group by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 481,497 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $22,760,000 after buying an additional 18,467 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Encore Capital Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $695,000. Verition Fund Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 8,828 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $417,000 after acquiring an additional 364 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Phase 2 Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 219.9% in the third quarter. Phase 2 Partners LLC now owns 241,509 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $11,416,000 after acquiring an additional 166,014 shares during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ECPG has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com cut Encore Capital Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Northland Securities boosted their price target on Encore Capital Group from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. Finally, Truist Financial cut their price objective on shares of Encore Capital Group from $64.00 to $57.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $62.67.

Encore Capital Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ECPG opened at $36.33 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $860.69 million, a P/E ratio of -4.63 and a beta of 1.73. The business has a 50-day moving average of $44.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $46.29. Encore Capital Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $31.54 and a fifty-two week high of $51.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The asset manager reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.55 by ($0.05). Encore Capital Group had a positive return on equity of 12.70% and a negative net margin of 13.91%. The company had revenue of $265.62 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $373.40 million. On average, equities research analysts predict that Encore Capital Group, Inc. will post 5.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Encore Capital Group

In other news, CEO Ashish Masih purchased 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $35.14 per share, for a total transaction of $702,800.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 322,254 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,324,005.56. The trade was a 6.62 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ashwini Gupta acquired 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $35.10 per share, for a total transaction of $1,404,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 96,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,401,505.90. This trade represents a 70.29 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 2.63% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.