Aaron’s (NYSE:PRG) Lowered to “Hold” Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Aaron’s (NYSE:PRG) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Saturday.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the company. B. Riley began coverage on Aaron’s in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $50.00 price target on the stock. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on Aaron’s from $38.00 to $37.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Aaron’s in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, BTIG Research upgraded shares of Aaron’s from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $31.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, November 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $41.71.

Aaron’s Trading Down 2.2%

Shares of NYSE:PRG opened at $29.98 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $29.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $31.06. Aaron’s has a 1 year low of $23.50 and a 1 year high of $44.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.61 and a beta of 1.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 4.74 and a quick ratio of 2.65.

Aaron’s (NYSE:PRG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 22nd. The company reported $0.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.17. Aaron’s had a net margin of 6.54% and a return on equity of 22.36%. The business had revenue of $595.11 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $586.11 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.77 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Aaron’s has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.350-3.450 EPS and its Q4 2025 guidance at 0.550-0.650 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Aaron’s will post 3.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aaron’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 18th were issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 18th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Aaron’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 13.20%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of PRG. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aaron’s during the second quarter valued at about $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Aaron’s by 66.2% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,122 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 447 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. increased its holdings in Aaron’s by 157.6% in the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 1,391 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 851 shares during the last quarter. WealthCollab LLC increased its holdings in Aaron’s by 61.9% in the 2nd quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 2,092 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC raised its position in Aaron’s by 225.4% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,841 shares of the company’s stock valued at $83,000 after purchasing an additional 1,968 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.92% of the company’s stock.

Aaron’s Company Profile

PROG Holdings, Inc (NYSE: PRG), formerly known as Aaron’s, is a North American provider of lease-to-own and consumer finance solutions. The company operates through two primary segments: Aaron’s Business Solutions and Progressive Financial Services. Through Aaron’s Business Solutions, PROG offers customers access to furniture, electronics, home appliances and technology products via lease ownership arrangements, serving both individual consumers and small businesses.

The Progressive Financial Services segment provides lease-purchase and retail point-of-sale financing programs to customers with limited credit histories.