Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) Upgraded to “Buy” at Wall Street Zen

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on UPBD. BTIG Research lowered their price target on shares of Upbound Group from $40.00 to $28.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Zacks Research lowered Upbound Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Upbound Group in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Upbound Group in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $32.25.

Upbound Group Stock Down 2.6%

Shares of UPBD opened at $21.45 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.30 and a beta of 1.88. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $19.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $20.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a current ratio of 2.92 and a quick ratio of 0.98. Upbound Group has a 1 year low of $15.82 and a 1 year high of $28.02.

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The company reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.17 billion. Upbound Group had a net margin of 1.56% and a return on equity of 35.23%. The business’s revenue was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.05 earnings per share. Upbound Group has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.050-1.150 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 4.000-4.350 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Upbound Group will post 4.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Upbound Group

In other Upbound Group news, Director Jeffrey J. Brown purchased 2,502 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was bought at an average price of $17.68 per share, with a total value of $44,235.36. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 92,972 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,643,744.96. The trade was a 2.77% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Upbound Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UPBD. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its position in shares of Upbound Group by 1.9% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 25,705 shares of the company’s stock valued at $645,000 after buying an additional 482 shares during the period. Amalgamated Bank boosted its position in Upbound Group by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 15,275 shares of the company’s stock valued at $361,000 after acquiring an additional 509 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its holdings in shares of Upbound Group by 18.7% during the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 3,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 535 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Upbound Group by 5.5% during the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 12,183 shares of the company’s stock worth $311,000 after acquiring an additional 638 shares during the period. Finally, LPL Financial LLC raised its position in shares of Upbound Group by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 46,341 shares of the company’s stock worth $814,000 after acquiring an additional 673 shares in the last quarter. 90.30% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Upbound Group

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.