Upstart (NASDAQ:UPST) Price Target Raised to $42.00 at Needham & Company LLC

Upstart (NASDAQ:UPST) had its target price boosted by stock analysts at Needham & Company LLC from $40.00 to $42.00 in a report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Needham & Company LLC’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 38.52% from the company’s previous close.

UPST has been the topic of several other research reports. Piper Sandler increased their target price on Upstart from $46.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $43.00 price target on shares of Upstart in a research report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley set a $35.00 price objective on Upstart in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Truist Financial set a $40.00 price objective on Upstart in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Upstart from $32.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $44.40.

Upstart Stock Up 3.0%

NASDAQ UPST opened at $30.32 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $2.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 79.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 2.29. The company’s 50 day moving average is $31.31 and its 200-day moving average is $31.58. Upstart has a 12-month low of $23.97 and a 12-month high of $85.31.

Upstart (NASDAQ:UPST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.19 by ($0.03). Upstart had a return on equity of 5.63% and a net margin of 4.34%.The business had revenue of $364.71 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $352.29 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.36 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 41.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Upstart will post 0.92 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Upstart

In other Upstart news, CEO Paul Gu acquired 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was bought at an average price of $27.50 per share, with a total value of $1,375,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 70,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,925,000. This represents a 250.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Sanjay Datta sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.41, for a total value of $456,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 313,556 shares in the company, valued at $9,535,237.96. This represents a 4.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 33,346 shares of company stock valued at $991,672 in the last ninety days. 17.29% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Upstart

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its position in shares of Upstart by 16.4% during the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 27,700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $981,000 after buying an additional 3,900 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Upstart by 26.7% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,905 shares of the company’s stock valued at $103,000 after buying an additional 612 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its stake in Upstart by 15.1% in the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 24,722 shares of the company’s stock worth $634,000 after buying an additional 3,241 shares in the last quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd raised its stake in shares of Upstart by 40.0% during the first quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd now owns 37,800 shares of the company’s stock worth $970,000 after acquiring an additional 10,800 shares in the last quarter. Finally, California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its stake in shares of Upstart by 21.3% in the 1st quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 100,693 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,583,000 after purchasing an additional 17,675 shares in the last quarter. 63.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Upstart

Here are the key news stories impacting Upstart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 revenue and originations exceeded expectations. Upstart generated approximately $365 million in revenue, up about 42% year over year and ahead of Wall Street estimates. Management also reported 50% year-over-year growth in loan originations and an all-time high in contribution profit, supporting the view that platform demand and operating leverage are improving. Upstart Q2 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Profitability was a key positive. Zacks reported adjusted earnings of $0.59 per share, above the $0.58 consensus estimate and well above the $0.36 reported a year earlier. However, other earnings data cited $0.16 per share versus a $0.19 estimate, indicating that the result depends on the accounting measure used. Zacks Upstart Q2 Earnings Report
• Positive Sentiment: Funding and regulatory developments strengthened the growth outlook. Upstart has secured more than $4 billion in newly committed capital through agreements with investors including Fortress, Centerbridge, and Neuberger. Conditional OCC approval to establish Upstart Bank could also reduce operational and regulatory complexity over time. Upstart Funding Momentum Analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Full-year revenue guidance was maintained near consensus. Upstart projected FY 2026 revenue of approximately $1.4 billion, broadly matching analyst expectations, so the outlook was supportive but did not represent a major forecast upgrade.
• Negative Sentiment: Macro and portfolio risks remain. Management is navigating economic headwinds and strategic shifts in its loan portfolio. Investor sentiment is also tempered by mixed institutional activity and substantial insider selling reported over the past six months, despite purchases by CEO Dave Girouard and co-founder Paul Gu.

Upstart Company Profile

Upstart Holdings, Inc operates a cloud-based lending marketplace that leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning to assess borrower creditworthiness. The company partners with banks and credit unions, providing its proprietary AI models and underwriting platform to facilitate consumer credit products. By focusing on non?traditional data points—such as education, employment history and other real?time indicators—Upstart seeks to improve approval rates and lower loss rates compared with conventional credit scoring methods.

Upstart’s core offering centers on unsecured personal loans, which borrowers can use for purposes such as debt consolidation, home improvements or major purchases.