Principal Financial Group Inc. Acquires 55,199 Shares of Upbound Group, Inc. $UPBD

Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Upbound Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPBD) by 22.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 303,918 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 55,199 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.52% of Upbound Group worth $5,486,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in Upbound Group by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 25,705 shares of the company’s stock valued at $645,000 after purchasing an additional 482 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its holdings in Upbound Group by 18.7% in the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 3,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 535 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC grew its position in Upbound Group by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 46,341 shares of the company’s stock worth $814,000 after purchasing an additional 673 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its position in Upbound Group by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 72,428 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,711,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Prelude Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Upbound Group by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter. Prelude Capital Management LLC now owns 10,737 shares of the company’s stock worth $254,000 after purchasing an additional 923 shares during the period. 90.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on UPBD shares. Zacks Research lowered shares of Upbound Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Upbound Group from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Upbound Group in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $31.00.

Upbound Group Stock Up 4.8%

UPBD opened at $21.59 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.10 and a beta of 1.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.01, a current ratio of 3.06 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $19.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.39. Upbound Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $15.82 and a fifty-two week high of $28.02.

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.02. Upbound Group had a net margin of 1.78% and a return on equity of 35.56%. The company had revenue of $1.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.23 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.00 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. Upbound Group has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.000-1.100 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 4.000-4.350 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Upbound Group, Inc. will post 4.15 EPS for the current year.

Upbound Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. Upbound Group’s payout ratio is presently 109.09%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jeffrey J. Brown acquired 2,295 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $20.09 per share, for a total transaction of $46,106.55. Following the purchase, the director owned 96,681 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,942,321.29. This trade 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 link. Insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

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.