Encore Capital GroupECPG +1.48%69 Piotroski F-Score is 7 as of Jun. 25, 2026, which is 17% above its 10-year median of 6.00. GuruFocus rates ECPG with a GF Score™ of 69/100 and a GF Value™ of $72.29 (Modestly Overvalued). The stock has 10 warning signs investors should review. Among 532 Credit Services companies, Encore Capital Group ranks better than 92.29% on this metric.
Good Sign:
Piotroski F-Score is 7, indicates a very healthy situation.
The zones of discrimination were as such:
Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3
Encore Capital Group has an F-score of 7. It is a good or high score, which usually indicates a very healthy situation.
The historical rank and industry rank for Encore Capital Group's Piotroski F-Score or its related term are showing as below:
ECPG'
s Piotroski F-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 4 Med: 6 Max: 8
Current: 7
During the past 13 years, the highest Piotroski F-Score of Encore Capital Group was 8. The lowest was 4. And the median was 6.
Encore Capital Group (NAS:ECPG) Piotroski F-Score Explanation
The developer of the system is Joseph D. Piotroski is relatively unknown accounting professor who shuns publicity and rarely gives interviews.
He graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in accounting in 1989, received an M.B.A. from Indiana University in 1994. Five years later, in 1999, after earning a Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Michigan, he became an associate professor of accounting at the University of Chicago.
He wanted to see if he can develop a system (using a simple nine-point scoring system) that can increase the returns of a strategy of investing in low price to book (referred to in the paper as high book to market) value companies.
What he found was something that exceeded his most optimistic expectations.
Buying only those companies that scored highest (8 or 9) on his nine-point scale, or F-Score as he called it, over the 20 year period from 1976 to 1996 led to an average out-performance over the market of 13.4%.
Even more impressive were the results of a strategy of investing in the highest F-Score companies (8 or 9) and shorting companies with the lowest F-Score (0 or 1).
Over the same period from 1976 to 1996 (20 years) this strategy led to an average yearly return of 23%, substantially outperforming the average S&P 500 index return of 15.83% over the same period.
Encore Capital Group Piotroski F-Score Related Terms
Encore Capital Group Piotroski F-Score Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for Encore Capital Group's Piotroski F-Score can be seen below:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
ECPG vs AGM.A, EZPW, QFIN: Piotroski F-Score Comparison
For the Credit Services subindustry, Encore Capital Group's Piotroski F-Score, along with its competitors' market caps and Piotroski F-Score data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
Encore Capital Group Piotroski F-Score vs Credit Services Industry
For the Credit Services industry and Financial Services sector, Encore Capital Group's Piotroski F-Score distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Encore Capital Group's Piotroski F-Score falls into.
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
*Note: If the latest quarterly/semi-annual/annual total assets data is 0, then we will use previous quarterly/semi-annual/annual data for all the items in the balance sheet.
Profitability
Question 1. Return on Assets (ROA)
Net income before extraordinary items for the year divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.
Score 1 if positive, 0 if negative.
Encore Capital Group's current Net Income (TTM) was 296.
==> Positive ==> Score 1.
Question 2. Cash Flow Return on Assets (CFROA)
Net cash flow from operating activities (operating cash flow) divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.
Encore Capital Group's return on assets of this year was 0.05961885. Encore Capital Group's return on assets of last year was -0.0246816.
==> This year is higher. ==> Score 1.
Question 4. Quality of Earnings (Accrual)
Compare Cash flow return on assets (2) to return on assets (1)
Encore Capital Group's gearing of this year was 0.63947474. Encore Capital Group's gearing of last year was 0.59246466.
==> Last year is lower than this year ==> Score 0.
Question 6. Change in Working Capital (Liquidity)
Compare this year's current ratio (current assets divided by current liabilities) to last year's current ratio.
Score 1 if this year's current ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower
Encore Capital Group's current ratio of this year was 0.32712545. Encore Capital Group's current ratio of last year was 0.20716111.
==> This year's current ratio is higher. ==> Score 1.
Question 7. Change in Shares in Issue
Compare the number of shares in issue this year, to the number in issue last year.
Score 0 if there is larger number of shares in issue this year, 1 otherwise.
Encore Capital Group's number of shares in issue this year was 22.32. Encore Capital Group's number of shares in issue last year was 24.269.
==> There is smaller number of shares in issue this year, or the same. ==> Score 1.
Efficiency
Question 8. Change in Gross Margin
Compare this year's gross margin (Gross Profit divided by sales) to last year's.
Score 1 if this year's gross margin is higher, 0 if it's lower.
Encore Capital Group's gross margin of this year was 0.55048346. Encore Capital Group's gross margin of last year was 0.47616658.
==> This year's gross margin is higher. ==> Score 1.
Question 9. Change in asset turnover
Compare this year's asset turnover (total sales for the year divided by total assets at the beginning of the year) to last year's asset turnover ratio.
Score 1 if this year's asset turnover ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower
Encore Capital Group's asset turnover of this year was 0.37255377. Encore Capital Group's asset turnover of last year was 0.29458042.
==> This year's asset turnover is higher. ==> Score 1.
Evaluation
Piotroski F-Score
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7
Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3
Encore Capital Group has an F-score of 7. It is a good or high score, which usually indicates a very healthy situation.
Encore Capital Group (ECPG) has a Piotroski F-Score of 7 as of Jun. 25, 2026. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on Encore Capital Group and its competitors. This is 17% above median its historical median of 6.00. Over the past decade, Encore Capital Group's Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 4.00 to 8.00. According to the industry distribution chart, Encore Capital Group ranks #41 out of 532 companies in the Credit Services industry, placing it in the top 7.7%.
Is Encore Capital Group's Piotroski F-Score too high?
Encore Capital Group's current Piotroski F-Score of 7 is 17% above median its 10-year median of 6.00. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 4.00 to a high of 8.00. The Credit Services industry median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00. Encore Capital Group's value of 7 is 40% above this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Encore Capital Group ranks #41 out of 532 companies in the Credit Services industry, which is in the top quartile — a strong position relative to peers. Overall, Encore Capital Group has a GF Score™ of 69/100 and is considered Modestly Overvalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Encore Capital Group's Piotroski F-Score compare to AGM.A and EZPW?
According to the Credit Services industry distribution chart, Encore Capital Group ranks #41 out of 532 companies for Piotroski F-Score. This places Encore Capital Group in the top 8% of its industry — outperforming the majority of peers. The industry median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00. Encore Capital Group's value of 7 is 40% above this benchmark. Historically, Encore Capital Group's own Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 4.00 to 8.00 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 6.00 vs. the industry median of 5.00, Encore Capital Group has consistently been above the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Piotroski F-Score for a Credit Services company?
The median Piotroski F-Score among Credit Services companies is 5.00, based on 532 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Piotroski F-Score significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Piotroski F-Score should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Encore Capital Group's current Piotroski F-Score of 7 is 40% above the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Piotroski F-Score mean?
A high Piotroski F-Score can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on Encore Capital Group and its competitors. For the Credit Services industry, the median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Encore Capital Group's current Piotroski F-Score is 7, which is 17% above median its own 10-year median of 6.00. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Encore Capital Group stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Encore Capital Group (ECPG) is currently considered Modestly Overvalued. The stock's GF Value™ is $72.29, compared to a current price of $87.07 — trading 20.4% above its estimated fair value. The current Piotroski F-Score is 7, which is 17% above median its 10-year median of 6.00 and 40% above the Credit Services industry median of 5.00. Encore Capital Group's overall GF Score™ is 69/100 with 10 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Piotroski F-Score calculated?
Piotroski F-Score is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Encore Capital Group (ECPG), the current Piotroski F-Score is 7 as of Jun. 25, 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Is Encore Capital Group (ECPG) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Encore Capital Group stock appears to be overvalued.
The current stock price of $87.07 is trading 20.4% above its estimated GF Value™ of $72.29.
GuruFocus considers Encore Capital Group to be Modestly Overvalued.
Key valuation signals for ECPG:
Piotroski F-Score: 7 (17% above median its 10-year median of 6.00)
GF Value™: $72.29 vs. price of $87.07 (20.4% above fair value)
Industry Position: 40% above the Credit Services median (#41 of 532)
No single metric tells the full story. See the ECPG stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Encore Capital Group Inc is an international specialty finance company engaged in providing debt recovery solutions and other related services for consumers across a broad range of financial assets. It mainly purchases portfolios of defaulted consumer receivables at deep discounts to face value and manages them by working with individuals to repay their obligations and work toward financial recovery. The company also provides debt servicing and other portfolio management services to credit originators for non-performing loans in Europe. It has only one reportable segment, debt purchasing and recovery. Geographically, the company generates maximum revenue from its business in the United States, followed by the United Kingdom, Europe, and other regions.
69GF Score
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