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

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) was upgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on UPBD. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Upbound Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Upbound Group in a research report on Friday, March 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Upbound Group presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $31.33.

Upbound Group Price Performance

Shares of UPBD stock opened at $17.70 on Wednesday. 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 50-day moving average is $18.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $18.76. Upbound Group has a 12 month low of $15.82 and a 12 month high of $28.02. The company has a market capitalization of $1.03 billion, a PE ratio of 12.38 and a beta of 1.83.

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.23 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.00 earnings per share. Upbound Group’s quarterly revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. Analysts predict that Upbound Group will post 4.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Upbound Group

In related news, Director Jeffrey J. Brown purchased 2,329 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $19.41 per share, for a total transaction of $45,205.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 94,840 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,840,844.40. The trade was a 2.52% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 2.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Upbound Group

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in shares of Upbound Group by 10.7% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 194,819 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,516,000 after acquiring an additional 18,758 shares during the last quarter. Amundi acquired a new stake in shares of Upbound Group during the first quarter valued at about $263,000. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in shares of Upbound Group by 73.1% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 14,601 shares of the company’s stock valued at $263,000 after purchasing an additional 6,165 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of Upbound Group by 12.0% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 240,726 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,345,000 after purchasing an additional 25,875 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Upbound Group by 83.4% in the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 47,463 shares of the company’s stock valued at $857,000 after purchasing an additional 21,578 shares in the last quarter. 90.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.