Barclays PLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG)

Barclays PLC lifted its stake in Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG) by 29.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 256,002 shares of the asset manager’s stock after acquiring an additional 58,099 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC’s holdings in Encore Capital Group were worth $12,228,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 827.2% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 751 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 670 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 50,605 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $2,417,000 after acquiring an additional 3,000 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of Encore Capital Group by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 152,942 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $7,306,000 after purchasing an additional 7,172 shares during the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 23.9% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 15,321 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $732,000 after purchasing an additional 2,953 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Huntington National Bank lifted its position in shares of Encore Capital Group by 152.5% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,333 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 805 shares during the last quarter.

Encore Capital Group Trading Up 0.4 %

NASDAQ:ECPG opened at $30.52 on Tuesday. 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 $26.45 and a 52-week high of $51.77. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $36.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $43.94. The company has a market capitalization of $723.05 million, a PE ratio of -3.89 and a beta of 1.58.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

ECPG has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Truist Financial decreased their price target on Encore Capital Group from $64.00 to $57.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Northland Securities raised their price objective on shares of Encore Capital Group from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, December 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Encore Capital Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $62.67.

Insider Activity

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

Encore Capital Group 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.