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

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

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

Encore Capital Group Stock Performance

Shares of ECPG opened at $42.70 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $46.79 and a 200-day moving average of $46.91. The company has a market cap of $1.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.86 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.54, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 0.83. Encore Capital Group has a 1 year low of $34.74 and a 1 year high of $54.73.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Encore Capital Group news, insider Ryan B. Bell sold 5,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $275,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 42,404 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,120,200. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 2.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Creative Planning bought a new position in Encore Capital Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. UBS Group AG boosted its stake in Encore Capital Group by 102.4% during the first quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 960 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 40,480 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 19.4% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,422 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 231 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in Encore Capital Group by 9.6% in the third quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,423 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $110,000 after acquiring an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new stake in Encore Capital Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $206,000.

About Encore Capital Group

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.