Upstart (NASDAQ:UPST) Reaches New 12-Month Low After Analyst Downgrade

Upstart Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPST) hit a new 52-week low on Thursday after Truist Financial lowered their price target on the stock from $59.00 to $49.00. Truist Financial currently has a buy rating on the stock. Upstart traded as low as $31.38 and last traded at $31.84, with a volume of 2099577 shares. The stock had previously closed at $33.10.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on the company. Bank of America lowered their price target on Upstart from $81.00 to $71.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “sell” rating and issued a $40.00 price target on shares of Upstart in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Stephens decreased their target price on Upstart from $55.00 to $40.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Upstart from $88.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their target price on shares of Upstart from $80.00 to $56.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $54.90.

Insider Transactions at Upstart

In other Upstart news, CFO Sanjay Datta sold 13,624 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.58, for a total transaction of $498,365.92. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 284,280 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,398,962.40. The trade was a 4.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Natalia Mirgorodskaya sold 821 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.62, for a total value of $30,065.02. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 27,160 shares in the company, valued at $994,599.20. This represents a 2.93% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 16,707 shares of company stock worth $633,080 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 16.67% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Upstart

Here are the key news stories impacting Upstart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Needham reaffirmed its “buy” rating and kept a $56 price target, signaling continued analyst conviction in the company’s long‑term story. Needham Reaffirms Buy on UPST
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually heavy options activity with a large block of call purchases (56,434 calls) suggests some traders are speculating on a near‑term bounce or event-driven move. Upstart Target of Unusually High Options Trading
• Neutral Sentiment: Company released the Q4 earnings presentation and related slides — useful for digging into segment metrics, margin walk and funding assumptions but not new guidance by itself. Q4 Results Presentation
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and outlets are parsing key Q4 metrics vs. estimates (revenue beat but EPS/margins weaker) — informative for modeling but mixed in directional signal. Zacks: Q4 Key Metrics vs Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Upstart reported a small EPS miss (adjusted $0.46 vs. $0.47 est.) and shares gapped lower on the earnings shock and weaker margin signals. Stock Gaps Lower After Earnings Whiff
• Negative Sentiment: CEO discussed Q4 results and said he plans to step down — management transition risks and execution questions amplify near‑term uncertainty. CEO Discusses Q4, Plans to Step Down
• Negative Sentiment: 2026 margin guidance disappointed investors and raised concerns about the company’s ability to execute on funding and cost assumptions, triggering further downside pressure. Margin Guidance Disappoints
• Negative Sentiment: TipRanks flagged rising data‑privacy compliance risks and higher legal/exposure costs under tightening laws — a structural headwind that could pressure margins and increase regulatory oversight. Rising Data Privacy Risks
• Negative Sentiment: Truist cut its price target from $59 to $49 (still a “buy”), signaling lowered expectations on the company’s near‑term performance. Truist Lowers Price Target

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Upstart

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Clearstead Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Upstart in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Upstart during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Quarry LP grew its stake in Upstart by 749.2% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 501 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 442 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in Upstart by 132.2% in the 3rd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 771 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 439 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new stake in Upstart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.01% of the company’s stock.

Upstart Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $2.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 71.88 and a beta of 2.38. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $44.95 and its 200-day simple moving average is $52.60.

Upstart (NASDAQ:UPST) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $0.17 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47 by ($0.30). The firm had revenue of $296.09 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $288.54 million. Upstart had a return on equity of 6.30% and a net margin of 5.13%.Upstart’s revenue for the quarter was up 35.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.26 EPS. Research analysts expect that Upstart Holdings, Inc. will post -0.03 earnings per share for the current year.

About Upstart

Upstart Holdings, Inc operates a cloud-based lending marketplace that leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning to assess borrower creditworthiness. The company partners with banks and credit unions, providing its proprietary AI models and underwriting platform to facilitate consumer credit products. By focusing on non‐traditional data points—such as education, employment history and other real‐time indicators—Upstart seeks to improve approval rates and lower loss rates compared with conventional credit scoring methods.

Upstart’s core offering centers on unsecured personal loans, which borrowers can use for purposes such as debt consolidation, home improvements or major purchases.