Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) Lowered to Hold Rating by Zacks Research

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) was downgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Upbound Group in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $31.33.

Upbound Group Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of UPBD stock opened at $21.22 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $18.71 and a 200-day moving average of $18.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 3.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.01. Upbound Group has a 12-month low of $15.82 and a 12-month high of $28.02. The firm has a market cap of $1.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.84 and a beta of 1.80.

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.02. Upbound Group had a return on equity of 35.56% and a net margin of 1.78%.The business had revenue of $1.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.23 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.00 earnings per share. Upbound Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. 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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Upbound Group will post 4.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Jeffrey J. Brown bought 2,329 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $19.41 per share, for a total transaction of $45,205.89. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 94,840 shares in the company, valued at $1,840,844.40. This trade represents a 2.52% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 2.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Upbound Group by 259.0% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 267,062 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,311,000 after acquiring an additional 192,674 shares during the last quarter. Range Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Upbound Group in the fourth quarter worth $1,332,000. Western Standard LLC purchased a new position in shares of Upbound Group in the fourth quarter worth about $1,756,000. Huber Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Upbound Group by 67.9% during the 3rd quarter. Huber Capital Management LLC now owns 965,270 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,809,000 after acquiring an additional 390,331 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Upbound Group by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,132,443 shares of the company’s stock valued at $125,246,000 after purchasing an additional 231,293 shares during the last quarter. 90.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.