Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) Lowered to Hold Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen cut shares of Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Upbound Group from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Zacks Research lowered shares of Upbound Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. BTIG Research downgraded shares of Upbound Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $28.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Upbound Group in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $30.67.

Upbound Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ UPBD opened at $19.39 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 3.06. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $19.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $19.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.13 billion, a PE ratio of 12.59 and a beta of 1.79. Upbound Group has a 52 week low of $15.82 and a 52 week high of $28.02.

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.02. Upbound Group had a return on equity of 34.53% and a net margin of 1.90%.The firm had revenue of $1.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.16 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.12 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .5% on a year-over-year basis. Upbound Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.000-4.350 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.850-0.950 EPS. Analysts predict that Upbound Group will post 4.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Upbound Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th were issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.0%. Upbound Group’s payout ratio is presently 101.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Upbound Group

In other Upbound Group news, Director Jeffrey J. Brown purchased 2,295 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 7th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $20.09 per share, for a total transaction of $46,106.55. Following the purchase, the director owned 96,681 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,942,321.29. The trade was a 2.43% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Upbound Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPBD. Quarry LP raised its position in shares of Upbound Group by 913.1% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,388 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,251 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Upbound Group by 238.3% during the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,448 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 1,020 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Upbound Group by 18.2% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,360 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 518 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its stake in Upbound Group by 18.7% in the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 3,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 535 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in Upbound Group by 49.9% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,685 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 1,226 shares during the period. 90.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Upbound Group News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Upbound Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Upbound reported second-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.07 per share and revenue of approximately $1.16 billion, both in line with analyst expectations. Revenue increased slightly year over year, while management highlighted growth at Brigit, digital expansion and disciplined portfolio management. Q2 Earnings Call Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its 2026 free-cash-flow outlook to $250 million, supporting the investment case by indicating stronger cash generation and continued cost and portfolio discipline. Revenue and Free Cash Flow Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen maintained a Buy rating and lowered its price target modestly to $28 from $29, implying substantial potential upside from recent trading levels. TD Cowen Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Management reaffirmed a 2026 earnings range of $4.00 to $4.35 per share and revenue guidance of $4.7 billion to $4.9 billion, broadly consistent with expectations on earnings but reflecting a more measured sales outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter EPS guidance of $0.85 to $0.95 fell below the roughly $1.00 analyst consensus, and the full-year revenue range was narrowed to $4.7 billion-$4.85 billion. The revisions signal softer consumer demand and are likely the primary reason the stock has decreased. Q2 Earnings and Guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Upbound disclosed approximately $13 million in losses related to fraud at Acima, creating an additional near-term earnings and execution concern even as cash-flow guidance improved.

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.