46,951 Shares in Upbound Group, Inc. $UPBD Purchased by New Century Financial Group LLC

New Century Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Upbound Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPBD) in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 46,951 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,109,000. Upbound Group accounts for about 2.0% of New Century Financial Group LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Security National Bank bought a new stake in Upbound Group during the third quarter worth approximately $57,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Upbound Group by 414.1% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,617 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 2,108 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Upbound Group by 179.4% in the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,912 shares of the company’s stock worth $94,000 after buying an additional 2,512 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in shares of Upbound Group in the second quarter valued at $95,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its stake in Upbound Group by 47.5% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,891 shares of the company’s stock valued at $123,000 after buying an additional 1,574 shares in the last quarter. 90.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Upbound Group Price Performance

UPBD stock opened at $18.70 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $18.06 and a two-hundred day moving average of $22.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.08 billion, a PE ratio of 12.90 and a beta of 1.85. The company has a current ratio of 3.16, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.25. Upbound Group, Inc. has a one year low of $15.82 and a one year high of $30.62.

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.02. Upbound Group had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 36.08%. The business had revenue of $1.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.15 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.95 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Upbound Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.050-4.150 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Upbound Group, Inc. will post 4.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Upbound Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 17th were issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 17th. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.3%. Upbound Group’s payout ratio is currently 107.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Upbound Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, December 20th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Upbound Group in a report on Monday, December 29th. BTIG Research cut their target price on shares of Upbound Group from $40.00 to $28.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Loop Capital upgraded shares of Upbound Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $36.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Upbound Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $32.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Upbound Group news, Director Jeffrey J. Brown acquired 1,951 shares of Upbound Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 21st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $22.27 per share, with a total value of $43,448.77. Following the purchase, the director owned 90,965 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,025,790.55. The trade was a 2.19% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

Upbound Group 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.