Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to Buy Rating

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Loop Capital upgraded shares of Upbound Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $36.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Upbound Group in a research note on Monday, December 15th. BTIG Research decreased their price target on shares of Upbound Group from $40.00 to $28.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 31st. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Upbound Group from $36.00 to $31.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Upbound Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Upbound Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $32.50.

Upbound Group Price Performance

NASDAQ:UPBD opened at $17.32 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $19.16 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $22.66. Upbound Group has a 52 week low of $15.82 and a 52 week high of $30.66. The stock has a market cap of $1.00 billion, a PE ratio of 11.94 and a beta of 1.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 3.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.25.

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.15 billion. Upbound Group had a return on equity of 36.08% and a net margin of 1.85%.The firm’s revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.95 earnings per share. Upbound Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.050-4.150 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Upbound Group will post 4.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Upbound Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 17th will be issued a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 17th. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.0%. Upbound Group’s payout ratio is 107.59%.

Insider Activity

In other Upbound Group news, Director Jeffrey J. Brown purchased 1,951 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 21st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $22.27 per share, with a total value of $43,448.77. Following the acquisition, the director owned 90,965 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,025,790.55. The trade was a 2.19% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Upbound Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Upbound Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Quarry LP lifted its position in Upbound Group by 913.1% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,388 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 1,251 shares during the last quarter. Security National Bank purchased a new position in Upbound Group during the third quarter worth $57,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Upbound Group by 414.1% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,617 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,000 after acquiring an additional 2,108 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Upbound Group by 179.4% in the first quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,912 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,000 after acquiring an additional 2,512 shares during the period. 90.30% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Upbound Group

Upbound Group, Inc leases household durable goods to customers on a lease-to-own basis in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Mexico. It operates through four segments: Rent-A-Center, Acima, Mexico, and Franchising. The company's brands, such as Rent-A-Center and Acima that facilitate consumer transactions across a range of store-based and virtual channels. It offers furniture comprising mattresses, tires, consumer electronics, appliances, tools, handbags, computers, smartphones, and accessories.