Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. Buys Shares of 182,289 Upbound Group, Inc. $UPBD

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in Upbound Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPBD) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 182,289 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,868,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. owned about 0.31% of Upbound Group as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its position in Upbound Group by 238.3% during the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,448 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 1,020 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP lifted its holdings in Upbound Group by 913.1% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,388 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,251 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of Upbound Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $46,000. Allworth Financial LP acquired a new stake in shares of Upbound Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $50,000. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its holdings in shares of Upbound Group by 18.7% during the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 3,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 535 shares in the last quarter. 90.30% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Upbound Group

In other news, Director Jeffrey J. Brown acquired 2,295 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $20.09 per share, for a total transaction of $46,106.55. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 96,681 shares in the company, valued at $1,942,321.29. This trade represents a 2.43% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Anthony J. Blasquez sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.85, for a total transaction of $188,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 43,717 shares in the company, valued at $824,065.45. The trade was a 18.62% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on UPBD. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Upbound Group from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Zacks Research cut shares of Upbound Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. TD Cowen cut their price target on Upbound Group from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 31st. Wall Street Zen lowered Upbound Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. Finally, BTIG Research cut Upbound Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $28.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Friday, July 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $30.67.

Upbound Group Stock Performance

Shares of UPBD stock opened at $19.22 on Friday. Upbound Group, Inc. has a one year low of $15.82 and a one year high of $28.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 3.22. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $20.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $19.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.48 and a beta of 1.79.

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.02. Upbound Group had a net margin of 1.90% and a return on equity of 34.53%. The company had revenue of $1.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.16 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.12 EPS. Upbound Group’s revenue for the quarter was up .5% on a year-over-year basis. 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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Upbound Group, Inc. will post 4.15 EPS for the current year.

Upbound Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were given a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. Upbound Group’s payout ratio is 101.30%.

Upbound Group Profile

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.