Schroder Investment Management Group Cuts Holdings in Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG)

Schroder Investment Management Group lowered its holdings in Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 215,286 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 2,784 shares during the quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group owned 0.91% of Encore Capital Group worth $10,284,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 120.8% in the fourth quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 530 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 290 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Encore Capital Group in the 4th quarter worth $84,000. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of Encore Capital Group in the fourth quarter worth $150,000. Systematic Financial Management LP purchased a new stake in Encore Capital Group during the third quarter valued at $156,000. Finally, Inceptionr LLC bought a new position in Encore Capital Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $202,000.

Encore Capital Group Trading Down 6.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ECPG opened at $31.32 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $41.70 and a 200 day moving average of $45.53. The company has a market cap of $742.00 million, a PE ratio of -3.99 and a beta of 1.73. Encore Capital Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $29.87 and a 12-month high of $51.77. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The asset manager reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $265.62 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $373.40 million. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Encore Capital Group, Inc. will post 5.09 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Northland Securities upped their price target on shares of Encore Capital Group from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of Encore Capital Group from $64.00 to $57.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Encore Capital Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $62.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Ashwini Gupta acquired 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $35.10 per share, with a total value of $1,404,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 96,909 shares in the company, valued at $3,401,505.90. This represents a 70.29 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Ashish Masih acquired 20,000 shares of Encore Capital Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were bought at an average price of $35.14 per share, for a total transaction of $702,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now 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 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.