Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) Stock Price Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Encore Capital Group Inc (NASDAQ:ECPG) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $43.77 and traded as high as $55.50. Encore Capital Group shares last traded at $55.4050, with a volume of 60,104 shares trading hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on ECPG. Wall Street Zen lowered Encore Capital Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, November 16th. Zacks Research raised Encore Capital Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Janney Montgomery Scott lifted their price target on shares of Encore Capital Group from $56.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Encore Capital Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.50.

Encore Capital Group Trading Up 1.0%

The firm’s 50 day moving average is $49.57 and its 200 day moving average is $43.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.13, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.66. The company has a market capitalization of $1.24 billion, a PE ratio of -30.34 and a beta of 1.48.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The asset manager reported $3.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $1.25. Encore Capital Group had a negative net margin of 2.89% and a positive return on equity of 25.27%. The business had revenue of $460.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $410.70 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.26 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 25.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Encore Capital Group Inc will post 5.09 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Laura Olle sold 1,423 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.79, for a total value of $75,120.17. Following the sale, the director directly owned 35,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,848,916.96. This trade represents a 3.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Ryan B. Bell sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.00, for a total value of $137,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 55,410 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,047,550. The trade was a 4.32% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 4,923 shares of company stock valued at $264,620 over the last ninety days. 2.54% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Encore Capital Group

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ECPG. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Encore Capital Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Encore Capital Group by 345.1% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 819 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 635 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Encore Capital Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $88,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 168.9% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,716 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $105,000 after acquiring an additional 1,706 shares during the period. Finally, Virtus Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Encore Capital Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $143,000.

About Encore Capital Group

Encore Capital Group, Inc is a global specialty finance company that focuses on the purchase and management of nonperforming consumer receivables. Through its subsidiaries, the company acquires charged-off debt portfolios from credit card issuers, banks, and other financial institutions, and seeks to recover outstanding balances through a combination of customer outreach, payment arrangements, and, where appropriate, legal collection efforts. Encore’s business model emphasizes compliance with regulatory and industry standards to ensure ethical and transparent debt-recovery practices.

Headquartered in San Diego, California, Encore operates across North America and Europe.