Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) Cut to “Hold” at Zacks Research

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) was downgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Upbound Group in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $31.33.

Upbound Group Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of NASDAQ UPBD opened at $21.22 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $1.24 billion, a PE ratio of 14.84 and a beta of 1.80. Upbound Group has a 12-month low of $15.82 and a 12-month high of $28.02. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $18.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $18.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 3.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.01.

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.02. Upbound Group had a net margin of 1.78% and a return on equity of 35.56%. The firm had revenue of $1.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.23 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.00 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Upbound Group has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.000-1.100 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 4.000-4.350 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Upbound Group will post 4.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Jeffrey J. Brown acquired 2,329 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $19.41 per share, with a total value of $45,205.89. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 94,840 shares in the company, valued at $1,840,844.40. This trade represents a 2.52% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Upbound Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Upbound Group by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,132,443 shares of the company’s stock valued at $125,246,000 after purchasing an additional 231,293 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in Upbound Group by 11.4% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,410,524 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,220,000 after buying an additional 246,146 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Upbound Group by 15.8% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,394,770 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,227,000 after buying an additional 327,203 shares during the last quarter. Huber Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Upbound Group by 80.2% during the 4th quarter. Huber Capital Management LLC now owns 1,739,045 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,538,000 after buying an additional 773,775 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Upbound Group by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,315,672 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,103,000 after buying an additional 59,798 shares in the last quarter. 90.30% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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. It offers furniture comprising mattresses, tires, consumer electronics, appliances, tools, handbags, computers, smartphones, and accessories.