Schroder Investment Management Group Decreases Stake in Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG)

Schroder Investment Management Group lessened its position in shares of Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 215,286 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 2,784 shares during the quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group’s holdings in Encore Capital Group were worth $10,284,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 120.8% in the fourth quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 530 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 290 shares in the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 8,828 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $417,000 after buying an additional 364 shares in the last quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management now owns 14,278 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $682,000 after buying an additional 416 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC raised its position in shares of Encore Capital Group by 11.6% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 10,668 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $510,000 after buying an additional 1,111 shares in the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Encore Capital Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $84,000.

Encore Capital Group Trading Down 6.6 %

ECPG opened at $31.32 on Friday. Encore Capital Group, Inc. has a one year low of $29.87 and a one year high of $51.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.11. The stock has a market cap of $742.00 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.99 and a beta of 1.73. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $41.70 and its 200-day moving average price is $45.53.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The asset manager reported $1.50 earnings per share 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 analysts’ expectations of $373.40 million. Encore Capital Group had a positive return on equity of 12.70% and a negative net margin of 13.91%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Encore Capital Group, Inc. will post 5.09 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Encore Capital Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday. Northland Securities increased their price target on Encore Capital Group from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, December 23rd. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their price objective on shares of Encore Capital Group from $64.00 to $57.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $62.67.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Ashwini Gupta purchased 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $35.10 per share, for a total transaction of $1,404,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 96,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,401,505.90. This trade represents a 70.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Ashish Masih acquired 20,000 shares of Encore Capital Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $35.14 per share, for a total transaction of $702,800.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 322,254 shares in the company, valued at $11,324,005.56. This trade represents a 6.62 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 2.63% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Encore Capital Group Company 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.