Russell Investments Group Ltd. Raises Holdings in Upbound Group, Inc. $UPBD

Key Points

• Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in Upbound Group, buying an additional 37,010 shares, raising its ownership by 63.7% to a total of 95,082 shares valued at approximately $2.28 million.
• Other institutional investors have also shown interest, with Nuveen LLC acquiring a position worth around $10 million and Vanguard Group increasing its investment by 3.6% during the same quarter.
• Upbound Group recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.39 per share, yielding 6.2%, with a payout ratio of 87.64% as of the last filing.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Upbound Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPBD - Free Report) by 63.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 95,082 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 37,010 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.16% of Upbound Group worth $2,278,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. TD Private Client Wealth LLC raised its position in Upbound Group by 59.9% during the first quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 1,311 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 491 shares during the period. CWM LLC raised its position in Upbound Group by 35.5% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,880 shares of the company's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 493 shares during the period. Palouse Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Upbound Group by 64.3% in the 1st quarter. Palouse Capital Management Inc. now owns 6,623 shares of the company's stock worth $159,000 after purchasing an additional 2,592 shares during the period. Freestone Grove Partners LP purchased a new stake in Upbound Group in the 4th quarter worth about $221,000. Finally, Crestline Management LP purchased a new stake in Upbound Group in the 4th quarter worth about $230,000. 90.30% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Upbound Group Trading Down 1.7%

Upbound Group stock traded down $0.45 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $25.41. The company had a trading volume of 506,569 shares, compared to its average volume of 681,802. The firm has a market cap of $1.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.28 and a beta of 1.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.29, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 3.11. Upbound Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $19.65 and a 1 year high of $36.00. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $24.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $24.17.

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $1.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $1.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.14 billion. Upbound Group had a net margin of 2.28% and a return on equity of 36.26%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.04 EPS. Upbound Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.050-4.40 EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at 0.950-1.05 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Upbound Group, Inc. will post 4.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Upbound Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 17th were given a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 17th. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.1%. Upbound Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 87.64%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Upbound Group news, Director Jeffrey J. Brown bought 1,653 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 8th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $25.90 per share, with a total value of $42,812.70. Following the transaction, the director owned 89,400 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,315,460. This trade represents a 1.88% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 2.60% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Wall Street Zen upgraded Upbound Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $34.50.

Upbound Group 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.