Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) Earns “Market Outperform” Rating from JMP Securities

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

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

Encore Capital Group Stock Up 0.6 %

ECPG stock opened at $43.24 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $1.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.92 and a beta of 1.38. Encore Capital Group has a twelve month low of $34.74 and a twelve month high of $54.73. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $44.69 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $46.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.54.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 21st. The asset manager reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.22 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $277.39 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $330.77 million. Encore Capital Group had a positive return on equity of 9.46% and a negative net margin of 16.89%. Analysts anticipate that Encore Capital Group will post 5.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Ryan B. Bell sold 5,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,120,200. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 2.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 19.4% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,422 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 231 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Encore Capital Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $206,000. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Encore Capital Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $209,000. M&T Bank Corp acquired a new position in Encore Capital Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $223,000. Finally, Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC acquired a new position in Encore Capital Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $211,000.

About Encore Capital Group

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.