Stephens Investment Management Group LLC Trims Stock Position in Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG)

Stephens Investment Management Group LLC trimmed its holdings in Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG) by 0.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,137,454 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 298 shares during the period. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC’s holdings in Encore Capital Group were worth $54,336,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Huntington National Bank lifted its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 8,700.0% in the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 528 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV raised its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 54.9% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,365 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 484 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Encore Capital Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $84,000. nVerses Capital LLC boosted its stake in Encore Capital Group by 90.9% during the third quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 2,100 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $99,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Finally, Systematic Financial Management LP purchased a new position in Encore Capital Group during the third quarter worth about $156,000.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Northland Capmk upgraded shares of Encore Capital Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Northland Securities upped their price target on Encore Capital Group from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. JMP Securities lifted their price objective on Encore Capital Group from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Encore Capital Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $65.00.

Encore Capital Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ECPG opened at $50.21 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $1.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.40 and a beta of 1.55. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39. Encore Capital Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $39.64 and a 52 week high of $54.55. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $48.44 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $47.97.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The asset manager reported $1.26 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.48 by ($0.22). The company had revenue of $367.07 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $360.70 million. Encore Capital Group had a positive return on equity of 12.70% and a negative net margin of 13.91%. Encore Capital Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.79 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Encore Capital Group, Inc. will post 5.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Laura Olle sold 1,340 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.16, for a total transaction of $65,874.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 32,381 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,591,849.96. The trade was a 3.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.63% of the company’s stock.

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.