Vanguard Group Inc. Buys 231,293 Shares of Upbound Group, Inc. $UPBD

Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Upbound Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPBD) by 3.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,132,443 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 231,293 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 0.12% of Upbound Group worth $125,246,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of UPBD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Upbound Group by 259.0% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 267,062 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,311,000 after acquiring an additional 192,674 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Upbound Group by 1,173.2% during the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 58,884 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,391,000 after purchasing an additional 54,259 shares during the last quarter. TrueMark Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Upbound Group during the third quarter worth about $4,863,000. Range Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Upbound Group during the fourth quarter worth about $1,332,000. Finally, Huber Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Upbound Group by 67.9% during the third quarter. Huber Capital Management LLC now owns 965,270 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,809,000 after purchasing an additional 390,331 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.30% of the company’s stock.

Upbound Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ UPBD opened at $17.96 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $18.75 and its 200 day moving average is $18.99. 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, Inc. has a 1-year low of $15.82 and a 1-year high of $28.02. The stock has a market cap of $1.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.56 and a beta of 1.83.

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

Upbound Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 28th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 7th were given a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 7th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.7%. Upbound Group’s payout ratio is currently 109.09%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Upbound Group

In other news, Director Jeffrey J. Brown purchased 2,329 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $19.41 per share, for a total transaction of $45,205.89. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 2.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on UPBD. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Upbound Group in a report on Friday, March 27th. Zacks Research upgraded Upbound Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Upbound Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Upbound Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $31.33.

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. It offers furniture comprising mattresses, tires, consumer electronics, appliances, tools, handbags, computers, smartphones, and accessories.