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

Upbound Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPBD)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $15.95 and last traded at $16.15, with a volume of 621462 shares. The stock had previously closed at $16.46.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on UPBD shares. Zacks Research downgraded Upbound Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. BTIG Research lowered their price objective on shares of Upbound Group from $40.00 to $28.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Loop Capital raised shares of Upbound Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $36.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, September 15th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Upbound Group from $36.00 to $31.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Upbound Group in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $32.50.

Upbound Group Trading Down 1.9%

The firm has a market cap of $935.18 million, a PE ratio of 9.07 and a beta of 1.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 3.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.29. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $22.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $23.62.

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.02. Upbound Group had a net margin of 2.28% and a return on equity of 36.26%. The firm had revenue of $1.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.15 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.95 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Upbound Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.050-4.150 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Upbound Group, Inc. will post 4.28 EPS for the current year.

Upbound Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th were issued a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 30th. Upbound Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 107.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Ralph T. Montrone sold 6,000 shares of Upbound Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.23, for a total transaction of $151,380.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 49,123 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,239,373.29. This trade represents a 10.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Jeffrey J. Brown bought 1,951 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 21st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $22.27 per share, with a total value of $43,448.77. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 90,965 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,025,790.55. This trade represents a 2.19% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 2.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Upbound Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in shares of Upbound Group by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 25,705 shares of the company’s stock worth $645,000 after acquiring an additional 482 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its holdings in Upbound Group by 35.5% in the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,880 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 493 shares during the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank increased its position in shares of Upbound Group by 3.4% during the third quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 15,275 shares of the company’s stock worth $361,000 after purchasing an additional 509 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Upbound Group by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 14,338 shares of the company’s stock valued at $344,000 after purchasing an additional 540 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its position in shares of Upbound Group by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 84,556 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,122,000 after purchasing an additional 621 shares in the last quarter. 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.