Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) Shares Gap Up – Still a Buy?

Upbound Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPBD)’s share price gapped up prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $19.91, but opened at $20.75. Upbound Group shares last traded at $20.5110, with a volume of 179,891 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on UPBD. Wall Street Zen upgraded Upbound Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Zacks Research cut Upbound Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Upbound Group in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Upbound Group in a report on Friday, March 27th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $32.25.

Upbound Group Trading Down 0.3%

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $19.30 and a 200-day moving average of $19.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 2.92. The company has a market cap of $1.15 billion, a PE ratio of 16.01 and a beta of 1.85.

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The company reported $1.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.04. Upbound Group had a return on equity of 35.23% and a net margin of 1.56%.The company had revenue of $1.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.17 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.05 EPS. Upbound Group’s revenue was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Upbound Group has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.050-1.150 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 4.000-4.350 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Upbound Group, Inc. will post 4.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Upbound Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 28th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 7th. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.9%. Upbound Group’s payout ratio is presently 125.81%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Upbound Group

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Upbound Group by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,132,443 shares of the company’s stock valued at $125,246,000 after acquiring an additional 231,293 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management lifted its holdings in shares of Upbound Group by 24.1% in the 3rd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 2,532,951 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,854,000 after buying an additional 491,536 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Upbound Group by 11.4% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,410,524 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,220,000 after buying an additional 246,146 shares during the period. Huber Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Upbound Group by 80.2% in the 4th quarter. Huber Capital Management LLC now owns 1,739,045 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,538,000 after buying an additional 773,775 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Upbound Group by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,315,672 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,103,000 after buying an additional 59,798 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.