Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) Stock Rating Lowered by Zacks Research

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) was downgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Upbound Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. BTIG Research cut shares of Upbound Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $28.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Friday. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Upbound Group from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Upbound Group in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $30.67.

Upbound Group Stock Up 1.1%

Upbound Group stock opened at $20.53 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.33 and a beta of 1.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 3.22. Upbound Group has a fifty-two week low of $15.82 and a fifty-two week high of $28.02. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $19.91 and a 200-day simple moving average of $19.41.

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.16 billion. Upbound Group had a return on equity of 34.53% and a net margin of 1.90%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.12 EPS. Upbound Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.000-4.350 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.850-0.950 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Upbound Group will post 4.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Upbound Group

In other news, Director Jeffrey J. Brown acquired 2,295 shares of Upbound Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 7th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $20.09 per share, for a total transaction of $46,106.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 96,681 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,942,321.29. This trade represents a 2.43% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Upbound Group

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of UPBD. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Upbound Group by 238.3% in the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,448 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 1,020 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP lifted its holdings in Upbound Group by 913.1% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,388 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 1,251 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its position in shares of Upbound Group by 18.7% during the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 3,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 535 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Upbound Group by 49.9% during the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,685 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 1,226 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Upbound Group by 18.2% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,360 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 518 shares during the period. 90.30% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Upbound Group

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.