Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) Hits New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

Upbound Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPBD) reached a new 52-week low on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $23.86 and last traded at $23.76, with a volume of 59350 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $24.35.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. TD Cowen upgraded Upbound Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 29th. Stephens started coverage on shares of Upbound Group in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $38.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Loop Capital lowered their price target on shares of Upbound Group from $33.00 to $30.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Upbound Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $37.00.

Upbound Group Stock Down 2.8 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.08, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 3.66. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $28.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $30.21. The stock has a market cap of $1.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.73 and a beta of 2.01.

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.02. Upbound Group had a return on equity of 35.47% and a net margin of 2.86%. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.06 billion. Equities analysts forecast that Upbound Group, Inc. will post 4.28 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Jeffrey J. Brown purchased 1,146 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $29.01 per share, with a total value of $33,245.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 86,380 shares in the company, valued at $2,505,883.80. This represents a 1.34 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Fahmi Karam acquired 11,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $25.82 per share, for a total transaction of $296,930.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 164,672 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,251,831.04. The trade was a 7.51 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 2.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Upbound Group

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of UPBD. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Upbound Group in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Covestor Ltd raised its stake in shares of Upbound Group by 268.8% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,136 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 828 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Upbound Group by 45.0% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,271 shares of the company’s stock worth $73,000 after buying an additional 705 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP grew its holdings in Upbound Group by 374.3% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 3,282 shares of the company’s stock worth $105,000 after acquiring an additional 2,590 shares during the period. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in Upbound Group by 12.8% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,785 shares of the company’s stock valued at $110,000 after acquiring an additional 429 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.30% of the company’s stock.

Upbound Group Company 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.