ECPG
Encore Capital Group, Inc. Financial Services - Credit Services Investor Relations →
Encore Capital Group, Inc. (ECPG) closed at $57.75 as of 2026-02-02, trading 20.4% above its 200-week moving average of $47.96. The stock moved further from the line this week, up from 15.1% last week. With a 14-week RSI of 92, ECPG is in overbought territory.
Over the past 1339 weeks of data, ECPG has crossed below its 200-week moving average 18 times. On average, these episodes lasted 30 weeks. Historically, investors who bought ECPG at the start of these episodes saw an average one-year return of +12.5%.
With a market cap of $1329 million, ECPG is a small-cap stock. Free cash flow yield is currently negative, meaning the company is burning cash. Return on equity stands at -4.5%. The stock trades at 1.4x book value.
Over the past 25.8 years, a hypothetical investment of $100 in ECPG would have grown to $7108, compared to $753 for the S&P 500. That represents an annualized return of 18.0% vs 8.2% for the index — confirming ECPG as a market-beating investment and the kind of quality company where buying during 200-week moving average touches has historically been rewarded.
In the past 12 months, corporate insiders have made 3 open-market purchases totaling $3,107,800. Multiple insiders purchased within a 30-day window — a cluster buy pattern that historically signals management confidence in the company's prospects.
Free cash flow has been declining at a -20.5% compound annual rate. A deteriorating cash flow trend warrants extra scrutiny — the stock may be cheap for a reason.
Growth of $100: ECPG vs S&P 500
Monthly data normalized to $100 at start. Vertical dashed lines mark 200-week MA touches.
What Happens After ECPG Crosses Below the Line?
Across 18 historical episodes, buying ECPG when it crossed below its 200-week moving average produced an average return of +16.7% after 12 months (median +6.0%), compared to +20.0% for the S&P 500 over the same periods. 56% of those episodes were profitable after one year. After 24 months, the average return was +46.6% vs +31.1% for the index.
Each line shows $100 invested at the moment ECPG crossed below its 200-week MA. Bold blue = stock average. Gray dashed = S&P 500 average over same periods.
Historical Touches
ECPG has crossed below its 200-week MA 18 times with an average 1-year return of +12.5% after recovery.
| Crossed Below | Recovered | Weeks | Max Depth | 1-Year Return | Return Since Touch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2000 | Mar 2003 | 142 | 90.4% | -33.7% | +6500.0% |
| May 2006 | Sep 2008 | 122 | 54.4% | +20.9% | +468.4% |
| Sep 2008 | May 2009 | 31 | 75.4% | +5.3% | +391.9% |
| Sep 2015 | Oct 2015 | 1 | 4.0% | -36.6% | +62.8% |
| Nov 2015 | May 2017 | 79 | 55.1% | -19.8% | +81.5% |
| Jul 2018 | Aug 2018 | 1 | 0.4% | -1.8% | +62.4% |
| Oct 2018 | May 2019 | 31 | 36.8% | -0.8% | +74.8% |
| Sep 2019 | Oct 2019 | 3 | 2.6% | +12.9% | +76.2% |
| Jan 2020 | Feb 2020 | 1 | 0.2% | -12.5% | +70.1% |
| Mar 2020 | Jun 2020 | 11 | 50.5% | +99.3% | +187.9% |
| Jun 2020 | Jul 2020 | 5 | 7.9% | +48.8% | +78.0% |
| Oct 2020 | Nov 2020 | 5 | 15.4% | +69.2% | +80.9% |
| Jan 2021 | Mar 2021 | 8 | 18.0% | +78.2% | +71.7% |
| May 2023 | May 2023 | 1 | 2.4% | +6.6% | +30.6% |
| Aug 2023 | Sep 2023 | 5 | 1.9% | +9.7% | +25.2% |
| Oct 2023 | Dec 2023 | 8 | 15.6% | +10.5% | +35.3% |
| Mar 2024 | Aug 2024 | 22 | 17.4% | -25.7% | +25.2% |
| Sep 2024 | Nov 2025 | 62 | 41.9% | -5.7% | +22.5% |
| Average | 30 | — | +12.5% | — |
Not financial advice. This is an educational tool. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Do your own research before making investment decisions.
Data as of Friday close, 2026-02-02