SG Americas Securities LLC Sells 6,838 Shares of Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG)

SG Americas Securities LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG) by 72.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,650 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 6,838 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Encore Capital Group were worth $134,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Encore Capital Group by 1.4% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,949,208 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $98,335,000 after buying an additional 27,842 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,679,467 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $80,211,000 after acquiring an additional 11,195 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Encore Capital Group by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 478,858 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $23,282,000 after acquiring an additional 18,238 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in Encore Capital Group by 13.5% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 415,753 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $19,931,000 after purchasing an additional 49,544 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in Encore Capital Group by 1.3% in the second quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 411,097 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $19,988,000 after purchasing an additional 5,188 shares during the last quarter.

Encore Capital Group Trading Up 1.7 %

Encore Capital Group stock opened at $41.22 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.54, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 0.83. The stock has a market cap of $970.73 million, a PE ratio of -4.69 and a beta of 1.36. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $47.12 and a two-hundred day moving average of $46.99. Encore Capital Group, Inc. has a one year low of $34.74 and a one year high of $54.73.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) last announced 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 firm had revenue of $277.39 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $330.77 million. Encore Capital Group had a negative net margin of 16.89% and a positive return on equity of 9.46%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Encore Capital Group, Inc. will post 5.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ECPG has been the subject of several analyst reports. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of Encore Capital Group in a research report on Wednesday. TheStreet cut shares of Encore Capital Group from a “c-” rating to a “d+” rating in a research report on Monday, March 18th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Encore Capital Group

In other news, insider Ryan B. Bell sold 5,500 shares of Encore Capital Group stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 42,404 shares in the company, valued at $2,120,200. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 2.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.