Zacks Research Downgrades Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) to Hold

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) was downgraded by Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Upbound Group in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $31.33.

Upbound Group Price Performance

NASDAQ UPBD opened at $21.22 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $18.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $18.93. The company has a current ratio of 3.06, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.01. Upbound Group has a 12-month low of $15.82 and a 12-month high of $28.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.84 and a beta of 1.80.

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.23 billion. Upbound Group had a return on equity of 35.56% and a net margin of 1.78%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.00 earnings per share. 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. Analysts forecast that Upbound Group will post 4.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Jeffrey J. Brown bought 2,329 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $19.41 per share, with a total value of $45,205.89. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 94,840 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,840,844.40. This trade represents a 2.52% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 2.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Upbound Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Upbound Group by 15.9% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 48,276 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,157,000 after purchasing an additional 6,623 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in Upbound Group by 4.5% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 31,891 shares of the company’s stock valued at $764,000 after purchasing an additional 1,376 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in Upbound Group by 73.0% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 532,809 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,766,000 after purchasing an additional 224,811 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Upbound Group by 286.3% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 86,450 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,071,000 after buying an additional 64,073 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Upbound Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $440,000. 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.