Upstart (NASDAQ:UPST) Price Target Cut to $30.00 by Analysts at Needham & Company LLC

Key Points

• Needham & Company cut Upstart’s price target from $42 to $30 while maintaining a “buy” rating; the new target implied approximately 39% upside from the reported $21.55 share price.
• Analyst sentiment was mixed, with seven buy, seven hold, and three sell ratings, resulting in an overall “hold” consensus and an average price target of $42.19.
• Upstart exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $370.5 million in revenue and $0.33 EPS versus estimates of $362.7 million and $0.20, respectively, though challenging macroeconomic conditions and recent insider selling remained concerns.

Upstart (NASDAQ:UPST - Get Free Report) had its price objective decreased by equities researchers at Needham & Company LLC from $42.00 to $30.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "buy" rating on the stock. Needham & Company LLC's price objective would indicate a potential upside of 39.21% from the company's current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Loop Capital assumed coverage on Upstart in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $34.00 price objective on the stock. Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of Upstart from $46.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Upstart from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Citigroup reiterated a "market underperform" rating on shares of Upstart in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $43.00 price target on shares of Upstart in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Upstart currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $42.19.

Upstart Stock Performance

NASDAQ UPST traded up $0.24 on Tuesday, hitting $21.55. 4,629,521 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,652,842. The business's fifty day moving average is $25.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $29.89. Upstart has a 12 month low of $20.60 and a 12 month high of $52.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.92, a PEG ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 2.43.

Upstart (NASDAQ:UPST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 3rd. The company reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.20 by $0.13. Upstart had a return on equity of 7.13% and a net margin of 4.84%. The firm had revenue of $370.52 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $362.68 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.23 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 33.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Upstart will post 0.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Andrea Blankmeyer sold 3,000 shares of Upstart stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.33, for a total transaction of $87,990.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 152,208 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,464,260.64. This trade represents a 1.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Sanjay Datta sold 116,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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. The trade was a 19.58% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 148,652 shares of company stock worth $4,133,720. Insiders own 17.29% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Upstart

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Upstart by 33.2% during the third quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 1,790 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 446 shares during the period. Apollon Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Upstart by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 32,995 shares of the company's stock valued at $759,000 after purchasing an additional 1,027 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Upstart by 838.2% during the 3rd quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 2,824 shares of the company's stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 2,523 shares during the period. Sepio Capital LP increased its holdings in Upstart by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Sepio Capital LP now owns 24,300 shares of the company's stock valued at $559,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. raised its position in Upstart by 654.0% during the 3rd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 126,246 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,902,000 after purchasing an additional 109,502 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 63.01% of the company's stock.

More Upstart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Upstart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Upstart reported third-quarter revenue of approximately $370.5 million, up 33.7% year over year and ahead of the roughly $362.7 million consensus estimate. Adjusted earnings of $0.33 per share also topped the $0.20 consensus forecast. Upstart Stock Pivots Higher After Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: The results marked continued year-over-year improvement, with earnings rising from $0.23 per share in the comparable period. The company also raised its outlook for revenue from fees, suggesting ongoing growth in loan-origination activity. Upstart Beats Expectations in a Challenging Macro Environment
• Neutral Sentiment: Upstart published October originations and updated its Upstart Macro Index, providing investors with additional data on loan demand and credit conditions. The release may help investors assess whether recent operating momentum is sustainable. Upstart Publishes October 2026 Originations and Latest UMI
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually heavy call-option activity before the earnings release indicated speculative bullish interest, but options positioning does not necessarily reflect long-term fundamentals.
• Negative Sentiment: Management lowered its 2026 revenue guidance in some reports and reduced its EBITDA outlook, highlighting pressure from a challenging macroeconomic and credit environment despite the earnings beat. Upstart Shares Are Retreating Tuesday: What's Happening
• Negative Sentiment: The stock entered the report near its 52-week low after a prolonged decline, while investors continue to weigh uncertain client activity and Upstart’s efforts to secure a banking charter. These factors help explain why the earnings-driven advance has been volatile.

Upstart Company Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.