Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) Releases FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 4.000-4.350 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 4.190. The company issued revenue guidance of $4.7 billion-$4.9 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $4.8 billion. Upbound Group also updated its Q3 2026 guidance to 0.850-0.950 EPS.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on UPBD. BTIG Research lowered Upbound Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $28.00 target price for the company. in a report on Friday. Zacks Research cut shares of Upbound Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on Upbound Group from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Upbound Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Upbound Group in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Upbound Group has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $30.67.

Upbound Group Stock Down 3.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:UPBD opened at $19.39 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $19.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $19.40. Upbound Group has a 52 week low of $15.82 and a 52 week high of $28.02. 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 company has a market cap of $1.13 billion, a PE ratio of 12.59 and a beta of 1.79.

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $1.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.16 billion. Upbound Group had a net margin of 1.90% and a return on equity of 34.53%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.12 EPS. 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. As a group, research analysts expect that Upbound Group will post 4.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Upbound Group Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Jeffrey J. Brown purchased 2,295 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $20.09 per share, for a total transaction of $46,106.55. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 96,681 shares in the company, valued at $1,942,321.29. This trade represents a 2.43% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Upbound Group News

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.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Upbound Group

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Upbound Group by 15.9% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 48,276 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,157,000 after purchasing an additional 6,623 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Upbound Group by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 31,891 shares of the company’s stock worth $764,000 after purchasing an additional 1,376 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Upbound Group by 73.0% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 532,809 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,766,000 after buying an additional 224,811 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Upbound Group by 286.3% in the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 86,450 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,071,000 after buying an additional 64,073 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Upbound Group in the second quarter worth approximately $440,000. 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. It offers furniture comprising mattresses, tires, consumer electronics, appliances, tools, handbags, computers, smartphones, and accessories.