Encore Capital Group’s (ECPG) “Market Outperform” Rating Reiterated at JMP Securities

JMP Securities reiterated their market outperform rating on shares of Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $60.00 price objective on the asset manager’s stock.

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

Encore Capital Group Stock Performance

Shares of ECPG opened at $43.24 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.02 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.92 and a beta of 1.38. 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 has a one year low of $34.74 and a one year high of $54.73. The business has a fifty day moving average of $44.69 and a 200 day moving average of $46.42.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The asset manager reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.22 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $277.39 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $330.77 million. Encore Capital Group had a positive return on equity of 9.46% and a negative net margin of 16.89%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Encore Capital Group will post 5.93 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Encore Capital Group news, insider Ryan B. Bell sold 5,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $275,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 42,404 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,120,200. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 2.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in ECPG. Assetmark Inc. increased its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 19.4% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,422 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 231 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new position in shares of Encore Capital Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $206,000. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Encore Capital Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $209,000. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Encore Capital Group in the third quarter worth $211,000. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 7.4% in the 1st quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 4,692 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $214,000 after buying an additional 323 shares during the period.

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.