Halter Ferguson Financial Inc. Has $18.16 Million Position in Upstart Holdings, Inc. $UPST

Key Points

• Halter Ferguson Financial more than doubled its Upstart stake in the fourth quarter, buying an additional 209,915 shares and lifting its position to 415,321 shares worth about $18.16 million. Upstart now makes up roughly 4% of the firm’s portfolio.
• Insider buying was notable: CEO Paul Gu bought 50,000 shares and Director Dave Girouard bought 170,240 shares, while insider ownership stands at 16.67%. The purchases suggest management confidence even as some shares were sold over the past 90 days.
• Upstart’s latest quarter showed revenue growth of 44.3% to $308.21 million, but earnings missed estimates with EPS of -$0.07 versus expectations of $0.39. The company also authorized a $100 million share buyback, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Hold.

Halter Ferguson Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of Upstart Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPST - Free Report) by 102.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 415,321 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 209,915 shares during the period. Upstart accounts for about 4.0% of Halter Ferguson Financial Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Halter Ferguson Financial Inc. owned 0.43% of Upstart worth $18,162,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of UPST. Jericho Capital Asset Management L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Upstart by 22.6% during the 3rd quarter. Jericho Capital Asset Management L.P. now owns 4,480,809 shares of the company's stock worth $227,625,000 after buying an additional 826,974 shares during the period. Baillie Gifford & Co. bought a new stake in Upstart in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,188,000. Clear Street Group Inc. bought a new stake in Upstart in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,018,000. Groupama Asset Managment bought a new stake in Upstart in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,400,000. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Upstart by 79.8% in the 3rd quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 970,306 shares of the company's stock valued at $49,292,000 after purchasing an additional 430,535 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 63.01% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Upstart

In other Upstart news, CEO Paul Gu purchased 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $27.50 per share, for a total transaction of $1,375,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 70,000 shares in the company, valued at $1,925,000. The trade was a 250.00% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Dave Girouard purchased 170,240 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $29.37 per share, with a total value of $4,999,948.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 8,512,941 shares in the company, valued at approximately $250,025,077.17. This trade represents a 2.04% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 9,481 shares of company stock worth $282,201. 16.67% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Upstart Price Performance

UPST stock opened at $29.71 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $28.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $37.23. The stock has a market cap of $2.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 78.18, a P/E/G ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 2.26. Upstart Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $23.97 and a 1 year high of $87.30.

Upstart (NASDAQ:UPST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported ($0.07) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.39 by ($0.46). The company had revenue of $308.21 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $301.30 million. Upstart had a return on equity of 5.63% and a net margin of 4.34%.Upstart's revenue for the quarter was up 44.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.30 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Upstart Holdings, Inc. will post 0.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Upstart announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, February 19th that permits the company to buyback $100.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 3.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Trending Headlines about Upstart

Here are the key news stories impacting Upstart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CEO Paul Gu disclosed a purchase of 50,000 shares at $27.50 each, boosting his direct stake by 250%. Insider buying is often viewed as a sign of confidence in the company’s outlook. MarketBeat insider transaction report
• Neutral Sentiment: Upstart has been trending on trading and research sites, suggesting elevated investor attention and speculation around the stock. Yahoo Finance: Upstart Holdings, Inc. (UPST) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms renewed reminders about a securities class action tied to purchases made between May 14, 2025 and November 4, 2025, with a June 8, 2026 lead-plaintiff deadline. The repeated lawsuit headlines can pressure sentiment by highlighting potential litigation risk and uncertainty. Rosen Law Firm deadline reminder
• Negative Sentiment: A class action has been filed alleging securities-law violations and investor harm, adding another legal risk factor that could weigh on the stock. Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman class action filing

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on UPST shares. Compass Point raised shares of Upstart from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $20.00 to $30.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $43.00 price objective on shares of Upstart in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Citizens Jmp reissued a "market underperform" rating and issued a $20.00 price objective on shares of Upstart in a report on Friday, February 13th. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on shares of Upstart from $56.00 to $46.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, B. Riley Financial dropped their target price on shares of Upstart from $66.00 to $54.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $45.79.

Upstart Profile

Upstart Holdings, Inc operates a cloud-based lending marketplace that leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning to assess borrower creditworthiness. The company partners with banks and credit unions, providing its proprietary AI models and underwriting platform to facilitate consumer credit products. By focusing on non‐traditional data points—such as education, employment history and other real‐time indicators—Upstart seeks to improve approval rates and lower loss rates compared with conventional credit scoring methods.

Upstart's core offering centers on unsecured personal loans, which borrowers can use for purposes such as debt consolidation, home improvements or major purchases.

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