Upstart (NASDAQ:UPST) Price Target Cut to $40.00 by Analysts at BTIG Research

Upstart (NASDAQ:UPST) had its price target reduced by equities research analysts at BTIG Research from $43.00 to $40.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. BTIG Research‘s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 85.96% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Needham & Company LLC reduced their target price on Upstart from $42.00 to $30.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings cut Upstart from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Monday, September 28th. Citizens Jmp dropped their price objective on shares of Upstart from $20.00 to $18.00 and set a “market underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Citigroup reiterated a “market underperform” rating on shares of Upstart in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Upstart from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $42.00.

Upstart Price Performance

UPST stock traded up $0.20 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $21.51. The stock had a trading volume of 6,210,453 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,661,383. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $25.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $29.89. The firm has a market cap of $2.09 billion, a PE ratio of 43.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 2.43. Upstart has a 12-month low of $20.60 and a 12-month high of $52.10.

Upstart (NASDAQ:UPST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 3rd. The company reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20 by $0.13. Upstart had a return on equity of 7.13% and a net margin of 4.84%. The company had revenue of $370.52 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $362.68 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.23 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 33.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Upstart will post 0.72 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Upstart news, insider Sanjay Datta sold 116,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.29, for a total value of $3,165,640.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 476,578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,005,813.62. This represents a 19.58% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Paul Gu acquired 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $25.55 per share, with a total value of $1,277,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 130,000 shares in the company, valued at $3,321,500. This represents a 62.50% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 148,652 shares of company stock valued at $4,133,720 in the last three months. 17.29% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Upstart

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UPST. Halter Ferguson Financial Inc. raised its stake in Upstart by 253.3% during the first quarter. Halter Ferguson Financial Inc. now owns 1,467,360 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,638,000 after buying an additional 1,052,039 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Upstart by 267.1% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,022,780 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,234,000 after acquiring an additional 744,190 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Upstart during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $9,681,000. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Upstart by 17.2% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 373,455 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,579,000 after acquiring an additional 54,908 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GC Wealth Management RIA LLC lifted its stake in Upstart by 38.1% during the first quarter. GC Wealth Management RIA LLC now owns 344,646 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,840,000 after purchasing an additional 95,172 shares during the last quarter. 63.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Upstart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Upstart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Upstart reported adjusted earnings of $0.33 per share and revenue of approximately $370.5 million, beating estimates of $0.20 and $362.7 million, respectively. Revenue increased 33.7% year over year, supporting the stock’s initial post-earnings advance. Upstart third-quarter earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s results also exceeded expectations on key operating metrics, and management raised its outlook for revenue from fees. This suggests continued demand for Upstart’s AI-driven lending platform despite a challenging macroeconomic environment. Upstart beats expectations
• Neutral Sentiment: Needham lowered its Upstart price target from $42 to $30 but retained a “Buy” rating. The new target still implies substantial potential upside, while signaling a more cautious valuation outlook. Needham analyst rating
• Negative Sentiment: Management reduced its EBITDA outlook and some reports indicated lower 2026 revenue guidance, highlighting margin and macroeconomic risks. Investors may also remain concerned about the company’s still-volatile performance and efforts to secure a banking charter. Upstart mixed third-quarter results

About Upstart

Upstart Holdings, Inc (NASDAQ: UPST) operates an artificial intelligence-powered lending marketplace. Its platform connects consumers seeking credit with banks and credit unions, using data-driven underwriting models designed to evaluate applicants beyond traditional credit-score-based methods.

The company provides technology for several lending categories, including personal loans, automotive retail and refinance lending, home equity lines of credit, and small-dollar lending. Upstart’s platform supports financial institutions with application processing, risk assessment, loan origination, and related automation, while offering consumers a digital borrowing experience.

Founded in 2012, Upstart is headquartered in San Mateo, California, and primarily serves the United States.