Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Hold

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Saturday,Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other research firms have also issued reports on UPBD. Zacks Research raised shares of Upbound Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 28th. BTIG Research lowered shares of Upbound Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $28.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Upbound Group from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, September 21st. Finally, TD Cowen cut their price target on Upbound Group from $28.00 to $27.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Upbound Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $27.50.

Upbound Group Price Performance

UPBD opened at $17.08 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $995.76 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.09 and a beta of 1.78. Upbound Group has a fifty-two week low of $14.98 and a fifty-two week high of $23.98. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $17.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $18.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 3.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94.

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.16 billion. Upbound Group had a return on equity of 34.53% and a net margin of 1.90%. Upbound Group’s quarterly revenue was up .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.12 earnings per share. Upbound Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.000-4.350 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.850-0.950 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Upbound Group will post 4.20 earnings per share for the current year.

Upbound Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 27th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 6th. Upbound Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 101.30%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Anthony Blasquez sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.85, for a total value of $188,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 43,717 shares in the company, valued at $824,065.45. This represents a 18.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Upbound Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UPBD. Signaturefd LLC increased its position in Upbound Group by 74.5% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,050 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 1,302 shares during the last quarter. Kendall Capital Management raised its holdings in Upbound Group by 14.1% during the third quarter. Kendall Capital Management now owns 66,315 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,041,000 after buying an additional 8,185 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC raised its holdings in Upbound Group by 26.3% during the third quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 41,475 shares of the company’s stock valued at $651,000 after buying an additional 8,645 shares in the last quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Upbound Group by 72.8% in the third quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 157,858 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,478,000 after buying an additional 66,491 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CX Institutional acquired a new stake in shares of Upbound Group in the third quarter worth about $4,619,000. 90.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Upbound Group Company Profile

Upbound Group, Inc is a provider of consumer leasing and retail solutions, operating primarily through its Rent-A-Center and Acima brands. The company enables customers to obtain merchandise through flexible lease-to-own agreements and related payment options, serving consumers who may prefer alternatives to traditional retail financing.

Its Rent-A-Center business operates company-owned and franchised locations, as well as digital channels, offering furniture, appliances, electronics, computers, smartphones and other household goods.