Upstart (NASDAQ:UPST) Stock: Insider Paul Gu Buys 50,000 Shares

Upstart Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPST) CEO Paul Gu acquired 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 11th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $20.57 per share, with a total value of $1,028,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 180,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,702,600. This represents a 38.46% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Paul Gu also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, September 10th, Paul Gu acquired 50,000 shares of Upstart stock. The shares were purchased at an average price of $25.55 per share, for a total transaction of $1,277,500.00.

Upstart Stock Up 2.1%

Shares of Upstart stock traded up $0.41 during trading on Friday, hitting $19.56. 5,013,744 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,728,826. The stock has a market cap of $1.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.15, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 2.48. Upstart Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $18.91 and a 52 week high of $52.10. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $23.88 and its 200-day moving average is $28.89.

Upstart (NASDAQ:UPST) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 3rd. The company reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $370.52 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $362.68 million. Upstart had a return on equity of 9.67% and a net margin of 4.86%. Upstart’s quarterly revenue was up 33.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.23 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Upstart Holdings, Inc. will post 0.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Upstart

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Upstart by 267.1% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,022,780 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,234,000 after acquiring an additional 744,190 shares during the period. Banco Santander S.A. boosted its holdings in shares of Upstart by 383.1% during the third quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 445,800 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,249,000 after purchasing an additional 353,520 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Upstart during the second quarter worth about $9,681,000. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Upstart by 17.2% during the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 373,455 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,579,000 after purchasing an additional 54,908 shares during the period. Finally, GC Wealth Management RIA LLC grew its stake in shares of Upstart by 38.1% in the first quarter. GC Wealth Management RIA LLC now owns 344,646 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,840,000 after purchasing an additional 95,172 shares during the last quarter. 63.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Truist Financial decreased their price target on shares of Upstart from $40.00 to $30.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 4th. Loop Capital assumed coverage on shares of Upstart in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $34.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Upstart from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Upstart from $61.00 to $46.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Upstart from $35.00 to $24.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 4th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Upstart has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $32.40.

About Upstart

Upstart Holdings, Inc. operates an artificial intelligence–based lending marketplace that connects consumers seeking loans with banks and credit unions. Its platform uses machine-learning models and borrower data to help lending partners assess credit risk and make lending decisions. The company’s offerings include personal loans and technology for auto lending, including auto retail and refinancing. Upstart was founded in 2012 by Dave Girouard, Paul Gu and Anna Counselman. Girouard serves as the company’s chief executive officer.