Upstart (NASDAQ:UPST) Given New $30.00 Price Target at Needham & Company LLC

Upstart (NASDAQ:UPST) had its price target dropped by investment analysts at Needham & Company LLC from $42.00 to $30.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Needham & Company LLC‘s price target indicates a potential upside of 39.21% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on UPST. Piper Sandler upped their price target on Upstart from $46.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Citigroup reiterated a “market underperform” rating on shares of Upstart in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Loop Capital started coverage on shares of Upstart in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. They set a “hold” rating and a $34.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Upstart from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Monday, September 28th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of Upstart from $39.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $42.19.

Upstart Price Performance

NASDAQ:UPST traded up $0.24 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $21.55. The company had a trading volume of 4,629,521 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,652,842. The company has a market capitalization of $2.10 billion, a PE ratio of 43.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 2.43. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $25.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $29.89. Upstart has a 52 week low of $20.60 and a 52 week high of $52.10.

Upstart (NASDAQ:UPST) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $370.52 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $362.68 million. Upstart had a return on equity of 7.13% and a net margin of 4.84%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 33.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.23 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Upstart will post 0.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Upstart news, CFO Andrea Blankmeyer sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.33, for a total value of $87,990.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 152,208 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,464,260.64. The trade was a 1.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Sanjay Datta sold 116,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.29, for a total value of $3,165,640.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 476,578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,005,813.62. This trade represents a 19.58% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 148,652 shares of company stock valued at $4,133,720. 17.29% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Upstart

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Halter Ferguson Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in Upstart by 253.3% in the first quarter. Halter Ferguson Financial Inc. now owns 1,467,360 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,638,000 after purchasing an additional 1,052,039 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Upstart by 267.1% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,022,780 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,234,000 after purchasing an additional 744,190 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in Upstart by 17.2% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 373,455 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,579,000 after buying an additional 54,908 shares during the last quarter. GC Wealth Management RIA LLC raised its stake in Upstart by 38.1% during the 1st quarter. GC Wealth Management RIA LLC now owns 344,646 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,840,000 after buying an additional 95,172 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in Upstart during the 2nd quarter valued at $9,681,000. 63.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Upstart

Here are the key news stories impacting Upstart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Upstart reported third-quarter revenue of approximately $370.5 million, up 33.7% year over year and ahead of the roughly $362.7 million consensus estimate. Adjusted earnings of $0.33 per share also topped the $0.20 consensus forecast. Upstart Stock Pivots Higher After Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: The results marked continued year-over-year improvement, with earnings rising from $0.23 per share in the comparable period. The company also raised its outlook for revenue from fees, suggesting ongoing growth in loan-origination activity. Upstart Beats Expectations in a Challenging Macro Environment
• Neutral Sentiment: Upstart published October originations and updated its Upstart Macro Index, providing investors with additional data on loan demand and credit conditions. The release may help investors assess whether recent operating momentum is sustainable. Upstart Publishes October 2026 Originations and Latest UMI
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually heavy call-option activity before the earnings release indicated speculative bullish interest, but options positioning does not necessarily reflect long-term fundamentals.
• Negative Sentiment: Management lowered its 2026 revenue guidance in some reports and reduced its EBITDA outlook, highlighting pressure from a challenging macroeconomic and credit environment despite the earnings beat. Upstart Shares Are Retreating Tuesday: What’s Happening
• Negative Sentiment: The stock entered the report near its 52-week low after a prolonged decline, while investors continue to weigh uncertain client activity and Upstart’s efforts to secure a banking charter. These factors help explain why the earnings-driven advance has been volatile.

Upstart Company Profile

Upstart Holdings, Inc (NASDAQ: UPST) operates an artificial intelligence-powered lending marketplace. Its platform connects consumers seeking credit with banks and credit unions, using data-driven underwriting models designed to evaluate applicants beyond traditional credit-score-based methods.

The company provides technology for several lending categories, including personal loans, automotive retail and refinance lending, home equity lines of credit, and small-dollar lending. Upstart’s platform supports financial institutions with application processing, risk assessment, loan origination, and related automation, while offering consumers a digital borrowing experience.

Founded in 2012, Upstart is headquartered in San Mateo, California, and primarily serves the United States.