First Trust Advisors LP Has $3.55 Million Stake in Upbound Group, Inc. $UPBD

Key Points

• Institutional ownership increased: First Trust Advisors raised its Upbound Group stake by 57.3% to 196,526 shares, worth approximately $3.55 million. Overall, institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.3% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: Recent downgrades led to a consensus “Hold” rating, with two Buys, two Holds, and one Sell and an average price target of $30.67.
• Upbound exceeded quarterly earnings expectations: The company reported $1.07 in earnings per share versus the $1.05 estimate, while revenue reached $1.16 billion. It also maintains a $0.39 quarterly dividend, representing a 7.8% annualized yield.

First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in Upbound Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPBD - Free Report) by 57.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 196,526 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 71,598 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 0.34% of Upbound Group worth $3,547,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Upbound Group by 49.9% during the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,685 shares of the company's stock worth $67,000 after buying an additional 1,226 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Upbound Group by 15.8% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,394,770 shares of the company's stock valued at $43,227,000 after acquiring an additional 327,203 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its position in shares of Upbound Group by 16.7% in the 1st quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 31,249 shares of the company's stock valued at $564,000 after acquiring an additional 4,467 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Upbound Group by 22.2% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 303,918 shares of the company's stock worth $5,486,000 after purchasing an additional 55,199 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in Upbound Group by 4,357.6% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 12,303 shares of the company's stock valued at $222,000 after purchasing an additional 12,027 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.30% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Upbound Group 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 bought at an average cost of $20.09 per share, with a total value of $46,106.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 96,681 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,942,321.29. The trade was a 2.43% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on UPBD shares. Zacks Research cut shares of Upbound Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Monday. TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of Upbound Group from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 31st. BTIG Research downgraded Upbound Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $28.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Friday, July 31st. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Upbound Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Upbound Group in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $30.67.

Upbound Group Price Performance

UPBD opened at $20.12 on Thursday. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $19.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.41. The company has a market capitalization of $1.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.06 and a beta of 1.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 3.22 and a quick ratio of 0.88. Upbound Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $15.82 and a 1 year high of $28.02.

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.02. Upbound Group had a net margin of 1.90% and a return on equity of 34.53%. The company had revenue of $1.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.16 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.12 earnings per share. The firm's 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. As a group, analysts anticipate that Upbound Group, Inc. will post 4.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Upbound Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were issued a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.8%. Upbound Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 101.30%.

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.

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