Upstart Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:UPST)

Upstart Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPST) was the target of unusually large options trading on Monday. Stock investors purchased 44,446 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 156% compared to the typical volume of 17,356 call options.

Insider Transactions at Upstart

In other Upstart news, CEO Paul Gu acquired 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $25.55 per share, for a total transaction of $1,277,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 130,000 shares in the company, valued at $3,321,500. This represents a 62.50% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Sanjay Datta sold 116,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.29, for a total transaction of $3,165,640.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 476,578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,005,813.62. This represents a 19.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 148,652 shares of company stock worth $4,133,720 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 17.29% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Upstart by 33.2% during the 3rd quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 1,790 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 446 shares in the last quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Upstart by 3.2% in the third quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 32,995 shares of the company’s stock worth $759,000 after purchasing an additional 1,027 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Upstart by 838.2% during the third quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 2,824 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 2,523 shares during the last quarter. Sepio Capital LP increased its stake in Upstart by 4.3% during the third quarter. Sepio Capital LP now owns 24,300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $559,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Upstart by 654.0% during the third quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 126,246 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,902,000 after purchasing an additional 109,502 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.01% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UPST has been the subject of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Upstart from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Monday, September 28th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $42.00 price objective on shares of Upstart in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Upstart from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Upstart from $46.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Citizens Jmp decreased their target price on Upstart from $20.00 to $18.00 and set a “market underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $42.94.

Key Headlines Impacting Upstart

Here are the key news stories impacting Upstart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Upstart reported third-quarter revenue of $370.52 million, up 33.7% year over year and above analysts’ $362.68 million consensus estimate. Adjusted earnings of $0.33 per share also exceeded the $0.20 expectation, while net income and return on equity were positive. MarketBeat earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: The company highlighted continued platform activity, including new client wins and October originations data. It also raised its outlook for revenue from fees, suggesting demand for its artificial-intelligence lending platform remains resilient. Upstart beats expectations article
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually heavy options activity preceded the report, with traders purchasing 44,446 call options—156% above average volume. This indicates elevated speculative interest but does not establish a clear fundamental direction.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are also monitoring Upstart’s effort to obtain a banking charter, which could eventually support funding flexibility and product expansion, although the timing and outcome remain uncertain. Yahoo Finance Upstart analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the earnings and revenue beats, management lowered portions of its 2026 outlook, including revenue expectations in some reports, and reduced EBITDA guidance because of challenging macroeconomic conditions. The weaker profitability outlook appears to be outweighing the quarterly beat for investors. Benzinga Upstart shares article

Upstart Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ UPST traded down $0.14 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $21.17. 3,034,236 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,641,063. The company has a market capitalization of $2.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 2.43. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $25.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $29.89. Upstart has a twelve month low of $20.60 and a twelve month high of $52.10.

Upstart (NASDAQ:UPST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 3rd. The company reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20 by $0.13. Upstart had a net margin of 4.84% and a return on equity of 7.13%. The business had revenue of $370.52 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $362.68 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.23 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 33.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Upstart will post 0.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Upstart

Upstart Holdings, Inc (NASDAQ: UPST) operates an artificial intelligence-powered lending marketplace. Its platform connects consumers seeking credit with banks and credit unions, using data-driven underwriting models designed to evaluate applicants beyond traditional credit-score-based methods.

The company provides technology for several lending categories, including personal loans, automotive retail and refinance lending, home equity lines of credit, and small-dollar lending. Upstart’s platform supports financial institutions with application processing, risk assessment, loan origination, and related automation, while offering consumers a digital borrowing experience.

Founded in 2012, Upstart is headquartered in San Mateo, California, and primarily serves the United States.