Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) Shares Down 6.9% – What’s Next?

Upbound Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPBD) traded down 6.9% on Monday . The company traded as low as $18.02 and last traded at $18.30. 365,754 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 51% from the average session volume of 743,603 shares. The stock had previously closed at $19.66.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Upbound Group in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Upbound Group in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research downgraded Upbound Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Upbound Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $32.25.

Upbound Group Trading Down 1.0%

The business has a 50 day moving average of $19.88 and a 200 day moving average of $20.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.37 and a beta of 1.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a current ratio of 2.92 and a quick ratio of 0.78.

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The company reported $1.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.17 billion. Upbound Group had a return on equity of 35.23% and a net margin of 1.56%.The company’s revenue was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.05 earnings per share. Upbound Group has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.050-1.150 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 4.000-4.350 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Upbound Group, Inc. will post 4.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Jeffrey J. Brown acquired 2,502 shares of Upbound Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 6th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $17.68 per share, with a total value of $44,235.36. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 92,972 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,643,744.96. The trade was a 2.77% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 2.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Upbound Group

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Upbound Group by 15.9% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 48,276 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,157,000 after buying an additional 6,623 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in Upbound Group by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 31,891 shares of the company’s stock worth $764,000 after buying an additional 1,376 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Upbound Group by 73.0% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 532,809 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,766,000 after acquiring an additional 224,811 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC grew its stake in Upbound Group by 286.3% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 86,450 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,071,000 after acquiring an additional 64,073 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in Upbound Group by 1.4% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 791,626 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,870,000 after acquiring an additional 10,610 shares during the period. 90.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.