Sanctuary Advisors LLC Purchases 24,014 Shares of Upbound Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPBD)

Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its position in Upbound Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPBD) by 320.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 31,519 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 24,014 shares during the quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC’s holdings in Upbound Group were worth $942,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp increased its stake in Upbound Group by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,028,224 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,883,000 after acquiring an additional 43,814 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Upbound Group by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,217,880 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,968,000 after buying an additional 54,427 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Upbound Group by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 914,047 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,240,000 after buying an additional 33,167 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Upbound Group by 2,864.5% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 405,569 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,974,000 after buying an additional 391,888 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Upbound Group by 42.5% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 316,225 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,116,000 after buying an additional 94,333 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.30% of the company’s stock.

Upbound Group Stock Performance

Shares of Upbound Group stock opened at $27.20 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $29.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $30.68. The company has a market capitalization of $1.56 billion, a PE ratio of 12.31 and a beta of 2.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 3.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.08. Upbound Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $26.25 and a 52 week high of $38.72.

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.06 billion. Upbound Group had a return on equity of 35.47% and a net margin of 2.86%. As a group, analysts expect that Upbound Group, Inc. will post 4.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Upbound Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 18th were paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 18th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.74%. This is a positive change from Upbound Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. Upbound Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 70.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Stephens assumed coverage on Upbound Group in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $38.00 price target on the stock. Loop Capital decreased their price target on Upbound Group from $33.00 to $30.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, TD Cowen upgraded Upbound Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Upbound Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $38.20.

Insider Activity at Upbound Group

In other Upbound Group news, Director Jeffrey J. Brown bought 1,146 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $29.01 per share, with a total value of $33,245.46. Following the transaction, the director now owns 86,380 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,505,883.80. This trade represents a 1.34 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 2.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.