Stephens Begins Coverage on Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD)

Equities research analysts at Stephens assumed coverage on shares of Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) in a report issued on Wednesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm set an “overweight” rating and a $38.00 price target on the stock. Stephens’ price objective points to a potential upside of 17.14% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on UPBD. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Upbound Group from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Loop Capital lowered their price target on shares of Upbound Group from $36.00 to $33.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Upbound Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $39.17.

Upbound Group Trading Down 2.0 %

Shares of UPBD stock opened at $32.44 on Wednesday. Upbound Group has a fifty-two week low of $26.50 and a fifty-two week high of $38.72. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $30.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $31.50. 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 has a market cap of $1.77 billion, a PE ratio of 22.37 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 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.04 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.79 earnings per share. Upbound Group’s revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Upbound Group will post 3.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Upbound Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UPBD. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in Upbound Group during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Upbound Group by 47.9% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,118 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 362 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd increased its position in shares of Upbound Group by 268.8% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,136 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 828 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Upbound Group during the second quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in Upbound Group by 232.0% in the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,640 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 1,146 shares during the period. 90.30% of the stock is 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.