Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) Rating Increased to Hold at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Monday, Marketbeat.com reports.

UPBD has been the topic of several other reports. Loop Capital upgraded shares of Upbound Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $36.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, September 15th. Wall Street Zen raised Upbound Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Upbound Group in a report on Monday. BTIG Research decreased their target price on Upbound Group from $40.00 to $28.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Upbound Group from $36.00 to $31.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 31st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $32.50.

Upbound Group Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of Upbound Group stock opened at $17.57 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.25, a current ratio of 3.16 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $18.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $22.25. The stock has a market cap of $1.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.12 and a beta of 1.87. Upbound Group has a 1-year low of $15.82 and a 1-year high of $30.62.

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.02. Upbound Group had a return on equity of 36.08% and a net margin of 1.85%.The business had revenue of $1.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.15 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.95 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. Upbound Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.050-4.150 EPS. Analysts predict that Upbound Group will post 4.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Upbound Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 17th will be given a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 17th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.9%. Upbound Group’s payout ratio is presently 107.59%.

Insider Transactions at Upbound Group

In other Upbound Group news, Director Jeffrey J. Brown bought 1,951 shares of Upbound Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 21st. The stock was bought at an average price of $22.27 per share, with a total value of $43,448.77. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 90,965 shares in the company, valued at $2,025,790.55. The trade was a 2.19% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Upbound Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UPBD. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Upbound Group in the third quarter valued at $32,000. Quarry LP lifted its stake in shares of Upbound Group by 913.1% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,388 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 1,251 shares during the period. Security National Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Upbound Group during the third quarter worth $57,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Upbound Group by 414.1% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,617 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,000 after buying an additional 2,108 shares during the period. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Upbound Group by 179.4% in the first quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,912 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,000 after purchasing an additional 2,512 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.30% 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.