Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) Hits New 52-Week High – What’s Next?

Encore Capital Group Inc (NASDAQ:ECPG)’s share price hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $98.02 and last traded at $96.40, with a volume of 29992 shares. The stock had previously closed at $94.45.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ECPG has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Zacks Research downgraded Encore Capital Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Encore Capital Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Citizens Jmp raised their price target on Encore Capital Group from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Encore Capital Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Encore Capital Group in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $88.00.

Encore Capital Group Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $2.01 billion, a PE ratio of 7.28 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.90. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $86.18 and its 200-day moving average price is $74.67.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The asset manager reported $3.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.84. Encore Capital Group had a return on equity of 30.70% and a net margin of 16.00%.The business had revenue of $475.41 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $446.26 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.93 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. Encore Capital Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.000-13.000 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Encore Capital Group Inc will post 13.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Encore Capital Group

In other news, insider John Yung sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.08, for a total value of $164,160.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 64,570 shares in the company, valued at $5,299,905.60. This trade represents a 3.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Encore Capital Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ECPG. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in Encore Capital Group by 97.9% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 33,620 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,153,000 after buying an additional 16,634 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 263.0% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 68,860 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $2,361,000 after acquiring an additional 49,892 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 13,929 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $477,000 after acquiring an additional 612 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 90,910 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $3,116,000 after acquiring an additional 1,806 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 7.8% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 78,465 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $2,690,000 after acquiring an additional 5,672 shares in the last quarter.

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.