Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) Stock: Insider Balaji Kumar Buys 2,200 Shares

Upbound Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPBD) EVP Balaji Kumar acquired 2,200 shares of Upbound Group stock in a transaction on Monday, November 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $22.77 per share, with a total value of $50,094.00. Following the purchase, the executive vice president directly owned 16,949 shares in the company, valued at approximately $385,928.73. This trade represents a 14.92% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Upbound Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ UPBD traded up $1.68 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $24.14. 1,834,246 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 944,464. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.71 and a beta of 1.80. Upbound Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $14.98 and a 52 week high of $24.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 3.17 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $17.38 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $18.91.

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $1.15 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.12 billion. Upbound Group had a net margin of 2.36% and a return on equity of 33.81%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.00 EPS. Analysts predict that Upbound Group, Inc. will post 4.22 EPS for the current year.

Upbound Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 27th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 6th were paid a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.5%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 6th. Upbound Group’s payout ratio is presently 82.11%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Upbound Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Upbound Group in the third quarter worth about $158,000. One Way Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Upbound Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $5,610,000. Vise Technologies Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Upbound Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $172,000. Summit Global Investments boosted its holdings in Upbound Group by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 38,648 shares of the company’s stock worth $607,000 after buying an additional 1,948 shares during the period. Finally, State of Wyoming bought a new position in Upbound Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $231,000. Institutional investors own 90.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UPBD has been the subject of several research analyst reports. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Upbound Group from $27.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 30th. BTIG Research lowered Upbound Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $28.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Friday, July 31st. Wall Street Zen downgraded Upbound Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 24th. Zacks Research upgraded Upbound Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Upbound Group from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, September 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $27.00.

Key Stories Impacting Upbound Group

Here are the key news stories impacting Upbound Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Six insiders bought shares on November 2–3: directors Molly Langenstein, Jeffrey Brown and Glenn P. Marino, and EVPs Balaji Kumar, Rebecca Wooters and Halim Khouri. Their purchases totaled about $1.24 million; several increased their individual holdings by double-digit percentages. SEC filing SEC filing SEC filing SEC filing SEC filing SEC filing
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks described UPBD as a potential long-term growth stock based on its Style Scores, offering a favorable characterization, though the article entry provides no specific forecasts or new company results. Zacks article
• Negative Sentiment: A recent report said Upbound’s consensus price target fell 22.36% to MX$410.79, signaling weaker analyst expectations; the cited figure is in Mexican pesos. Price target report

About Upbound Group

Upbound Group, Inc is a provider of consumer leasing and retail solutions, operating primarily through its Rent-A-Center and Acima brands. The company enables customers to obtain merchandise through flexible lease-to-own agreements and related payment options, serving consumers who may prefer alternatives to traditional retail financing.

Its Rent-A-Center business operates company-owned and franchised locations, as well as digital channels, offering furniture, appliances, electronics, computers, smartphones and other household goods.