Zacks Research upgraded shares of Upstart (NASDAQ:UPST – Free Report) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.
UPST has been the topic of several other research reports. Citigroup downgraded shares of Upstart from a “buy” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Truist Financial decreased their price target on shares of Upstart from $59.00 to $49.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $43.00 price objective on shares of Upstart in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Upstart in a report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised Upstart from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the company from $44.00 to $35.00 in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Upstart presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $48.00.
View Our Latest Research Report on Upstart
Upstart Price Performance
Upstart (NASDAQ:UPST – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $0.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.02. Upstart had a return on equity of 6.30% and a net margin of 5.13%.The business had revenue of $296.09 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $288.54 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.26 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 35.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Upstart will post -0.03 EPS for the current year.
Upstart announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, February 19th that authorizes the company to buyback $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 3.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.
Insider Transactions at Upstart
In other Upstart news, CFO Sanjay Datta sold 7,982 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.86, for a total value of $238,342.52. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 276,688 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,261,903.68. This represents a 2.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders sold 9,481 shares of company stock valued at $282,201 over the last three months. Insiders own 16.67% of the company’s stock.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Upstart
Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Upstart by 89.5% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 96,706 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,451,000 after buying an additional 45,664 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increased its holdings in Upstart by 13.8% in the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 4,628 shares of the company’s stock valued at $213,000 after buying an additional 563 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Upstart by 20.0% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,997 shares of the company’s stock worth $92,000 after acquiring an additional 333 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its position in shares of Upstart by 18.7% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 173,017 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,964,000 after acquiring an additional 27,287 shares during the period. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Upstart during the 1st quarter worth about $208,000. 63.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
More Upstart News
Here are the key news stories impacting Upstart this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Broader fintech rebound lifted Upstart alongside peers — market commentary highlights that Upstart’s move looks related to a sector-wide bounce (Affirm also rallied), suggesting investors are reappraising risk in fintech lending. Upstart Soars 14%, Affirm Climbs 7: Two Fintech Disruptors Signal the Sector May Be Turning a Corner
- Positive Sentiment: KBRA assigned preliminary ratings to notes in the Upstart Securitization Trust 2026-2 (a $320.14M ABS). Continued ABS issuance (the 50th securitization) signals capital-market appetite for loans originated via Upstart’s platform and supports funding capacity for growth. KBRA Assigns Preliminary Ratings to Upstart Securitization Trust 2026-2
- Positive Sentiment: Unusual options flow: traders bought ~45,688 call options (≈61% above average call volume), indicating speculative or institutional bullish positioning that can amplify upside on positive news or momentum.
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst/coverage shifts moved mildly positive — Zacks upgraded Upstart from “strong sell” to “hold,” and comparative coverage pieces highlight Upstart’s accelerating AI-driven lending revenue and expansion into new loan categories, which supports the stock’s narrative of improving fundamentals. PayPal vs. Upstart: Which Fintech Stock is the Better Buy Now?
- Neutral Sentiment: Company/market updates and small recent beats are being cited by financial press as part of the move, but they are incremental rather than game-changing on their own. Upstart Holdings, Inc. (UPST) Beats Stock Market Upswing: What Investors Need to Know
- Neutral Sentiment: Longer-term growth narratives (e.g., potential AI-powered bank plans) are being circulated in retail/investor media; these are bullish if executed but remain speculative and long-dated. Prediction: This Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stock Is Going to Double Before 2026 Is Over
- Negative Sentiment: Significant legal overhang — multiple law firms have filed or circulated class-action notices concerning Upstart (alleging misleading statements about AI model calibration and conversion impacts) and are soliciting lead plaintiffs for the May 14, 2025–Nov 4, 2025 class period. This concentrated litigation activity raises the risk of costly settlements, distraction, and continued headline volatility. Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP Highlights Class Action Against Upstart Holdings (UPST)
Upstart Company Profile
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.
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