Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) Now Covered by Analysts at Stephens

Stephens began coverage on shares of Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm issued an overweight rating and a $38.00 price objective on the stock.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Upbound Group from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Loop Capital cut their target price on Upbound Group from $36.00 to $33.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Upbound Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $39.17.

Upbound Group Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ UPBD opened at $31.78 on Wednesday. Upbound Group has a 52-week low of $26.50 and a 52-week high of $38.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 3.66. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $30.18 and its 200-day moving average price is $31.51. The company has a market capitalization of $1.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.92 and a beta of 2.01.

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.06. Upbound Group had a return on equity of 34.15% and a net margin of 1.91%. The firm had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.79 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Upbound Group will post 3.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Upbound Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were paid a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.66%. Upbound Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 102.07%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Transient C. Taylor sold 15,127 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.00, for a total transaction of $514,318.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,651 shares in the company, valued at approximately $498,134. This trade represents a 50.80 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Jeffrey J. Brown bought 1,065 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 22nd. The stock was bought at an average price of $29.25 per share, with a total value of $31,151.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 85,234 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,493,094.50. This represents a 1.27 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 2.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Upbound Group

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Upbound Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Upbound Group by 47.9% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,118 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 362 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Upbound Group by 268.8% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,136 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 828 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Upbound Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in Upbound Group by 232.0% in the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,640 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 1,146 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.30% of the company’s stock.

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.