Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) Issues FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday. The company provided EPS guidance of 13.000-13.000 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 11.870. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Encore Capital Group in a report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings raised Encore Capital Group from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Zacks Research downgraded Encore Capital Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Northland Securities set a $70.00 price objective on Encore Capital Group in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Encore Capital Group from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Encore Capital Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.25.

Encore Capital Group Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of ECPG traded down $1.42 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $82.82. The stock had a trading volume of 739,302 shares, compared to its average volume of 271,103. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.10. Encore Capital Group has a 52 week low of $35.67 and a 52 week high of $92.64. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $73.51 and a 200 day moving average of $59.86. The company has a market cap of $1.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.53 and a beta of 1.33.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The asset manager reported $3.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.84. The firm had revenue of $475.41 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $446.26 million. Encore Capital Group had a return on equity of 28.19% and a net margin of 14.52%.The company’s revenue was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.93 EPS. Encore Capital Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.000-13.000 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Encore Capital Group will post 11.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Encore Capital Group

In other news, insider Ryan B. Bell sold 7,240 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.04, for a total value of $499,849.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 48,170 shares in the company, valued at $3,325,656.80. This trade represents a 13.07% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 2.54% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Encore Capital Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting Encore Capital Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings and revenue materially beat expectations: EPS $3.86 vs. consensus ~$3.02 and revenue $475.4M vs. ~$446M; year‑over‑year revenue growth ~21% — a clear operational beat that supports higher valuation. Zacks: Q1 Earnings and Revenues Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Company raised FY‑2026 EPS guidance to $13.00 (vs. consensus ~$11.87) — an explicit beat/raise that makes forward estimates more compelling. Company Press Release / Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher targets: Citizens Jmp raised its target to $108 (market outperform) and Truist raised its target to $105 (buy), each implying ~26–30% upside vs. the pre‑move price — supports upside from current levels. Benzinga: Citizens Jmp Upgrade TickerReport: Truist Upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Company filed its formal Q1 release and supporting materials (press release, slide deck, conference call transcript) for investors to dig into portfolio performance and cash flow details. GlobeNewswire: Q1 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Pre‑earnings coverage and analyst commentary framed expectations ahead of results; useful for investors reviewing catalysts and risk items but not new news post‑release. MSN: Q1 Expectations
• Negative Sentiment: Despite positive fundamentals, shares traded lower today on elevated volume — consistent with short‑term profit‑taking after the beat and analyst upgrades. Investors should watch volume, valuation (P/E ~7.6), and leverage (debt/equity ~4.1) for near‑term volatility.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Encore Capital Group

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cerity Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 95.2% in the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 13,530 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $735,000 after acquiring an additional 6,600 shares in the last quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury grew its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 224.5% during the second quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 18,726 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $725,000 after purchasing an additional 12,955 shares during the period. VARCOV Co. bought a new position in Encore Capital Group during the fourth quarter worth about $599,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in Encore Capital Group during the second quarter worth about $545,000. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 76.5% during the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 9,053 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $492,000 after purchasing an additional 3,924 shares during the period.

Encore Capital Group Company Profile

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.