Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) Releases Q2 2026 Earnings Guidance

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) updated its second quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 1.000-1.100 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 1.050. The company issued revenue guidance of $1.1 billion-$1.2 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $1.2 billion. Upbound Group also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 4.000-4.350 EPS.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Upbound Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Upbound Group in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Upbound Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Upbound Group in a report on Friday, March 27th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $31.33.

Upbound Group Price Performance

NASDAQ UPBD traded down $0.57 on Friday, hitting $19.19. The company had a trading volume of 1,179,956 shares, compared to its average volume of 813,303. The company has a market capitalization of $1.12 billion, a PE ratio of 15.48 and a beta of 1.83. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $19.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $19.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.01, a current ratio of 2.92 and a quick ratio of 0.78. Upbound Group has a 12-month low of $15.82 and a 12-month high of $28.02.

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.23 billion. Upbound Group had a net margin of 1.78% and a return on equity of 35.56%. The firm’s revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.00 EPS. Upbound Group has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.000-1.100 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 4.000-4.350 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Upbound Group will post 4.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Upbound Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 28th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 7th were issued a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 7th. Upbound Group’s payout ratio is presently 125.81%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Jeffrey J. Brown purchased 2,329 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was bought at an average price of $19.41 per share, with a total value of $45,205.89. Following the acquisition, the director owned 94,840 shares in the company, valued at $1,840,844.40. The trade was a 2.52% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

Key Upbound Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting Upbound Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 EPS beat — Upbound reported $1.08 EPS vs. $1.06 consensus, driven by Brigit subscriber growth, margin expansion and stronger cash flow, which provides near-term earnings support. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Director insider buy — Director Jeffrey J. Brown purchased 2,329 shares at about $19.41, increasing his stake ~2.5%; an insider purchase can signal management confidence in the stock’s valuation. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Modest revenue growth — Q1 revenue rose ~3.7% YoY to $1.22B, showing growth but not acceleration; net margin remains low (1.56%) despite improved ROE, tempering enthusiasm about top-line momentum. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: EPS guidance roughly in-line — FY2026 EPS guide of $4.00–$4.35 and Q2 guide of $1.00–$1.10 are close to consensus, providing some earnings visibility but not a clear upside catalyst. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue and revenue guidance missed expectations — Management’s FY revenue range ($4.7B–$5.0B) and Q2 revenue guide ($1.1B–$1.2B) were modestly below Street midpoints, raising concern about near-term top-line momentum and prompting profit-taking. Read More.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Upbound Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UPBD. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in Upbound Group by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 25,705 shares of the company’s stock worth $645,000 after purchasing an additional 482 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its holdings in shares of Upbound Group by 18.7% in the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 3,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 535 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC lifted its position in Upbound Group by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 46,341 shares of the company’s stock worth $814,000 after buying an additional 673 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its position in Upbound Group by 1.3% during the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 72,428 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,711,000 after buying an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prelude Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Upbound Group by 9.4% during the third quarter. Prelude Capital Management LLC now owns 10,737 shares of the company’s stock worth $254,000 after buying an additional 923 shares during the last quarter. 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.