Traders Purchase High Volume of Put Options on Upstart (NASDAQ:UPST)

Upstart Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPST) was the target of some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Investors purchased 49,733 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 21% compared to the typical volume of 41,100 put options.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Natalia Mirgorodskaya sold 762 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.91, for a total value of $29,649.42. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 26,398 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,027,146.18. The trade was a 2.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Kerry Whorton Cooper sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $75,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 23,934 shares in the company, valued at $1,196,700. This represents a 5.90% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 16,707 shares of company stock worth $633,080 in the last three months. 16.67% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Upstart

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPST. Intellectus Partners LLC increased its stake in Upstart by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Intellectus Partners LLC now owns 26,700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,168,000 after acquiring an additional 1,250 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Upstart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $49,915,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. bought a new stake in shares of Upstart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Upstart in the fourth quarter valued at $389,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Upstart by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,068,515 shares of the company’s stock valued at $90,469,000 after purchasing an additional 26,734 shares in the last quarter. 63.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on UPST. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Upstart in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Truist Financial initiated coverage on Upstart in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $59.00 price target for the company. BTIG Research reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Upstart in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on Upstart from $80.00 to $56.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $45.00 target price on Upstart in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $60.36.

Key Stories Impacting Upstart

Here are the key news stories impacting Upstart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company issued FY‑2026 revenue guidance (~$1.4B) above Street expectations (~$1.2B), which drove bullish reactions and was cited as the main catalyst for an after‑hours rally. Upstart shares soar 11% as 2026 revenue guidance tops estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Reported Q4 revenue grew ~35% YoY to roughly $296.1M and topped analyst estimates, supporting the narrative of continued top‑line recovery for the lending marketplace. Upstart Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Company released the Q4 earnings slide deck and call transcript — useful for investors who want details on origination trends, loss assumptions and product mix before positioning. Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Company published monthly origination volumes (regular disclosure) that give cadence on loan flow; these support the revenue beat but require drill‑down on credit performance. Upstart Publishes Monthly Origination Volumes
• Neutral Sentiment: Leadership change announced — appointment of Gu as CEO (management evolution). This can be viewed positively if the market trusts the new leadership, but it’s a medium‑term factor. Upstart Announces Leadership Evolution
• Negative Sentiment: Reported EPS was below some analyst estimates (sources cite misses vs. consensus), creating mixed headlines despite the top‑line beat — investors concerned about margins and credit assumptions. Upstart Misses Q4 Earnings Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually heavy put‑option activity (large volume of puts bought) signals elevated hedging/speculative bearish interest and could amplify intraday volatility. Upstart Stock Is Trending Ahead Of Q4 Earnings

Upstart Trading Up 0.3%

UPST opened at $38.96 on Wednesday. Upstart has a 1-year low of $31.40 and a 1-year high of $96.43. The business has a 50 day moving average of $45.54 and a 200-day moving average of $52.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 177.10 and a beta of 2.38.

Upstart (NASDAQ:UPST) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $0.17 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.47 by ($0.30). The company had revenue of $296.09 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $288.54 million. Upstart had a net margin of 3.33% and a return on equity of 3.68%. Upstart’s revenue for the quarter was up 35.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.26 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Upstart will post -0.03 EPS for the current year.

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.