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

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Aaron’s (NYSE:PRG) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Sunday.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on PRG. B. Riley started coverage on shares of Aaron’s in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $50.00 price target for the company. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Aaron’s from $38.00 to $37.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Aaron’s in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, BTIG Research upgraded Aaron’s from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $31.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $41.71.

Aaron’s Trading Up 0.0%

NYSE PRG opened at $30.52 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.65, a current ratio of 4.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $29.43 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $31.10. Aaron’s has a twelve month low of $23.50 and a twelve month high of $44.42. The company has a market capitalization of $1.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.75 and a beta of 1.74.

Aaron’s (NYSE:PRG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 22nd. The company reported $0.90 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.17. Aaron’s had a return on equity of 22.36% and a net margin of 6.54%.The firm had revenue of $595.11 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $586.11 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.77 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. 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. Research analysts forecast that Aaron’s will post 3.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Aaron’s Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Trading of Aaron’s

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PRG. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Aaron’s in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Aaron’s by 66.2% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,122 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 447 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. boosted its holdings in Aaron’s by 157.6% in the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 1,391 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 851 shares in the last quarter. WealthCollab LLC grew its stake in shares of Aaron’s by 61.9% in the second quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 2,092 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC increased its holdings in shares of Aaron’s by 225.4% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,841 shares of the company’s stock valued at $83,000 after acquiring an additional 1,968 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.92% of the company’s stock.

About Aaron’s

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.