Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) Stock Rating Lowered by Zacks Research

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) was downgraded by Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

UPBD has been the topic of several other reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Upbound Group in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Upbound Group from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 31st. BTIG Research lowered Upbound Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $28.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Friday. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Upbound Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $30.67.

Upbound Group Price Performance

NASDAQ:UPBD opened at $20.53 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $19.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $19.41. The firm has a market cap of $1.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.33 and a beta of 1.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 3.22. Upbound Group has a one year low of $15.82 and a one year high of $28.02.

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.16 billion. Upbound Group had a return on equity of 34.53% and a net margin of 1.90%.The company’s revenue was up .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.12 EPS. Upbound Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.000-4.350 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.850-0.950 EPS. Research analysts expect that Upbound Group will post 4.15 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jeffrey J. Brown purchased 2,295 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 7th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $20.09 per share, with a total value of $46,106.55. Following the purchase, the director owned 96,681 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,942,321.29. This represents a 2.43% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Upbound Group

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Upbound Group by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,132,443 shares of the company’s stock worth $125,246,000 after buying an additional 231,293 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in Upbound Group by 11.4% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,410,524 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,220,000 after acquiring an additional 246,146 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in Upbound Group by 15.8% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,394,770 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,227,000 after acquiring an additional 327,203 shares in the last quarter. Huber Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Upbound Group by 80.2% during the 4th quarter. Huber Capital Management LLC now owns 1,739,045 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,538,000 after acquiring an additional 773,775 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Upbound Group by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,315,672 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,103,000 after acquiring an additional 59,798 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.30% of the company’s stock.

Upbound Group Company Profile

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.