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Can Value Investors Pick Encore Capital Group (ECPG) Stock ?
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Value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. After all, who wouldn’t want to find stocks that are either flying under the radar and are compelling buys, or offer up tantalizing discounts when compared to fair value?
One way to find these companies is by looking at several key metrics and financial ratios, many of which are crucial in the value stock selection process. Let’s put, Encore Capital Group, Inc. (ECPG - Free Report) stock into this equation and find out if it is a good choice for value-oriented investors right now, or if investors subscribing to this methodology should look elsewhere for top picks:
PE Ratio
A key metric that value investors always look at is the Price to Earnings Ratio, or PE for short. This shows us how much investors are willing to pay for each dollar of earnings in a given stock, and is easily one of the most popular financial ratios in the world. The best use of the PE ratio is to compare the stock’s current PE ratio with: a) where this ratio has been in the past; b) how it compares to the average for the industry/sector; and c) how it compares to the market as a whole.
On this front, Encore Capital Group has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 8.05, as you can see in the chart below:
This level actually compares pretty favorably with the market at large, as the PE for the S&P 500 compares in at about 19.66. If we focus on the stock’s long-term PE trend, the current level Encore Capital Group puts current PE ratio below its midpoint (which is 8.72) over the past five years.
Also, the stock’s PE compares favorably with the Zacks Finance sector’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 12.56. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.
We should also point out that Encore Capital Group has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of 4.85, so it is fair to say that a slightly more value-oriented path may be ahead for the stock in the near term too.
P/S Ratio
Another key metric to note is the Price/Sales ratio. This approach compares a given stock’s price to its total sales, where a lower reading is generally considered better. Some people like this metric more than other value-focused ones because it looks at sales, something that is far harder to manipulate with accounting tricks than earnings.
Right now, the stock has a P/S ratio of about 0.81. This is substantially lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.28 right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this is slightly below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.
If anything, this suggests some level of undervalued trading—at least compared to historical norms.
Broad Value Outlook
In aggregate, Encore Capital Group currently has a Value Style Score of A, putting it into the top 20% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes ECPG a solid choice for value investors and some of its other metrics make it clear too.
For example, the PEG ratio for the stock is just 0.11, a level that is far lower than the industry average of 2.21. The PEG ratio is a modified PE ratio that takes into account the stock’s earnings growth rate.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though Encore Capital Group might be a good choice for value investors, there are plenty of other factors to consider before investing in this name. In particular, it is worth noting that the company has a Growth grade of C and a Momentum score of A. This gives ECPG a VGM score—or its overarching fundamental grade—of A. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>).
Meanwhile, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been encouraging. The current quarter has seen six estimates go higher in the past sixty days and none lower, while current year estimate has seen three downward and three upward revision in the same time period.
This has had a noticeable impact on the consensus estimate. The current quarter consensus estimate has risen 102.7% in the past two months, while the current year estimate has improved 34.4% in the same time period. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
This bullish trend is why the stock boasts a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and why we are expecting outperformance from the company in the near term.
Bottom Line
Encore Capital Group is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. Moreover, a Zacks Rank#2 further supports the growth potential of the stock. However with a sluggish industry rank (bottom 6% out of more than 250 industries) it is hard to get excited about the stock overall. In fact, over the past one year, the sector has clearly underperformed the broader market, as you can see below:
So, value investors might want to wait for broader factors to turn around in this name first, but once that happens, this stock could be a compelling pick.
Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside?
Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana.
Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look.
Image: Bigstock
Can Value Investors Pick Encore Capital Group (ECPG) Stock ?
Value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. After all, who wouldn’t want to find stocks that are either flying under the radar and are compelling buys, or offer up tantalizing discounts when compared to fair value?
One way to find these companies is by looking at several key metrics and financial ratios, many of which are crucial in the value stock selection process. Let’s put, Encore Capital Group, Inc. (ECPG - Free Report) stock into this equation and find out if it is a good choice for value-oriented investors right now, or if investors subscribing to this methodology should look elsewhere for top picks:
PE Ratio
A key metric that value investors always look at is the Price to Earnings Ratio, or PE for short. This shows us how much investors are willing to pay for each dollar of earnings in a given stock, and is easily one of the most popular financial ratios in the world. The best use of the PE ratio is to compare the stock’s current PE ratio with: a) where this ratio has been in the past; b) how it compares to the average for the industry/sector; and c) how it compares to the market as a whole.
On this front, Encore Capital Group has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 8.05, as you can see in the chart below:
This level actually compares pretty favorably with the market at large, as the PE for the S&P 500 compares in at about 19.66. If we focus on the stock’s long-term PE trend, the current level Encore Capital Group puts current PE ratio below its midpoint (which is 8.72) over the past five years.
Also, the stock’s PE compares favorably with the Zacks Finance sector’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 12.56. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.
We should also point out that Encore Capital Group has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of 4.85, so it is fair to say that a slightly more value-oriented path may be ahead for the stock in the near term too.
P/S Ratio
Another key metric to note is the Price/Sales ratio. This approach compares a given stock’s price to its total sales, where a lower reading is generally considered better. Some people like this metric more than other value-focused ones because it looks at sales, something that is far harder to manipulate with accounting tricks than earnings.
Right now, the stock has a P/S ratio of about 0.81. This is substantially lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.28 right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this is slightly below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.
If anything, this suggests some level of undervalued trading—at least compared to historical norms.
Broad Value Outlook
In aggregate, Encore Capital Group currently has a Value Style Score of A, putting it into the top 20% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes ECPG a solid choice for value investors and some of its other metrics make it clear too.
For example, the PEG ratio for the stock is just 0.11, a level that is far lower than the industry average of 2.21. The PEG ratio is a modified PE ratio that takes into account the stock’s earnings growth rate.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though Encore Capital Group might be a good choice for value investors, there are plenty of other factors to consider before investing in this name. In particular, it is worth noting that the company has a Growth grade of C and a Momentum score of A. This gives ECPG a VGM score—or its overarching fundamental grade—of A. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>).
Meanwhile, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been encouraging. The current quarter has seen six estimates go higher in the past sixty days and none lower, while current year estimate has seen three downward and three upward revision in the same time period.
This has had a noticeable impact on the consensus estimate. The current quarter consensus estimate has risen 102.7% in the past two months, while the current year estimate has improved 34.4% in the same time period. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
Encore Capital Group Inc Price and Consensus
Encore Capital Group Inc price-consensus-chart | Encore Capital Group Inc Quote
This bullish trend is why the stock boasts a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and why we are expecting outperformance from the company in the near term.
Bottom Line
Encore Capital Group is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. Moreover, a Zacks Rank#2 further supports the growth potential of the stock. However with a sluggish industry rank (bottom 6% out of more than 250 industries) it is hard to get excited about the stock overall. In fact, over the past one year, the sector has clearly underperformed the broader market, as you can see below:
So, value investors might want to wait for broader factors to turn around in this name first, but once that happens, this stock could be a compelling pick.
Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside?
Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana.
Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look.
See the pot trades we're targeting>>