Not a good buy right now for an impatient entry: price is sitting just below near-term resistance (R1 ~57.19) with weakening momentum (MACD histogram negative).
Fundamentals and Wall Street stance are bullish (multiple price-target raises to $70–$75; strong YoY growth in the latest reported quarter), but the near-term technical setup doesn’t offer a clean, high-probability breakout entry today.
No supportive proprietary trading signals (AI Stock Picker/SwingMax) to justify an aggressive buy-before-close approach.
No recent news catalysts and no notable insider/hedge/congress activity to provide immediate upside fuel ahead of earnings (2026-02-25).
Technical Analysis
Trend/Momentum: MACD histogram at -0.127 (below zero) and only contracting slightly → bearish-to-neutral momentum, not a fresh upswing.
RSI(6) ~56.3 → neutral; not oversold (no rebound signal) and not overbought.
Moving averages: converging → consolidation/range behavior rather than a strong trend.
Key levels: Pivot ~55.53; support S1 ~53.87 (then S2 ~52.84). Resistance R1 ~57.19 (then R2 ~58.22). At 56.16, risk/reward is less attractive because upside is capped by nearby resistance.
Pattern-based forward odds: modeled probabilities imply mild downside bias (next day -1.53%, next week -2.23%, next month -7.25% expected move).
Options Data
Bullish
Open Interest Put-Call Ratio
Bullish
Option Volume Put-Call Ratio
Positioning: Open interest put/call ratio 0.86 → slightly more call-leaning than put-leaning (mildly constructive sentiment).
Activity: Extremely low volume today (3 calls, 0 puts) and volume only ~33% of 30-day average → limited real-time conviction.
Volatility: 30D IV ~45.56 vs historical vol ~22.83 → options are pricing elevated move expectations; IV percentile ~44 (mid-pack), IV rank ~11 (low relative to its own range).
Technical Summary
Sell
3
Buy
10
Positive Catalysts
Strong Wall Street tone: multiple Outperform/Buy reiterations with raised targets (recently to $70–$75), citing favorable U.S. collections backdrop and improving macro/regulatory environment.
Financial momentum: latest reported quarter shows sharp YoY acceleration in revenue, net income, and EPS.
Upcoming earnings (2026-02-25 after hours) could act as a catalyst if collections/profitability trends persist.
Wall Street cons: still a credit-cycle-sensitive business; the market may wait for earnings confirmation before paying up through resistance.
Wall Street analysts forecast ECPG stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for ECPG is 60.67 USD with a low forecast of 59 USD and a high forecast of 62 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
3 Analyst Rating
Wall Street analysts forecast ECPG stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for ECPG is 60.67 USD with a low forecast of 59 USD and a high forecast of 62 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
3 Buy
0 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 56.540
Low
59
Averages
60.67
High
62
Current: 56.540
Low
59
Averages
60.67
High
62
Northland
Outperform
upgrade
$61 -> $70
AI Analysis
2026-01-22
Reason
Northland
Price Target
$61 -> $70
AI Analysis
2026-01-22
upgrade
Outperform
Reason
Northland raised the firm's price target on Encore Capital to $70 from $61 and keeps an Outperform rating on the shares. After having recently hosted a fireside chat with the management team, the firm says it is "very excited about 2026," driven by a favorable U.S. market, recent breakouts of U.S. collections and a strong balance sheet.
Citizens
Outperform
maintain
$59 -> $75
2026-01-20
Reason
Citizens
Price Target
$59 -> $75
2026-01-20
maintain
Outperform
Reason
Citizens raised the firm's price target on Encore Capital to $75 from $59 and keeps an Outperform rating on the shares. Consumer Finance and FinTech stocks enjoyed tailwinds from evidence of credit stabilization, lower funding costs, and a post-election rally that included a shift to a historically benign regulatory backdrop, the analyst tells investors in a research note. The macro backdrop appears to be "chugging along," with credit and spending trends largely shrugging off the price impacts from tariffs, resumption of student loan collections, and core inflation pressure, the firm says.
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