Strs Ohio Makes New $625,000 Investment in Upbound Group, Inc. $UPBD

Key Points

• Strs Ohio has invested approximately $625,000 in Upbound Group, Inc. by acquiring 26,100 shares, as noted in their latest SEC filing.
• Analysts have upgraded Upbound Group's rating from "hold" to "buy," with target prices ranging from $36.00 to $40.00, indicating positive market sentiment.
• Upbound Group announced a quarterly dividend of $0.39 per share, resulting in an annualized yield of 5.9%, to be paid on October 21st.

Strs Ohio acquired a new position in shares of Upbound Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPBD - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 26,100 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $625,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. WBI Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Upbound Group during the first quarter worth approximately $215,000. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Upbound Group by 4.2% in the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 222,245 shares of the company's stock worth $5,325,000 after purchasing an additional 9,047 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its position in Upbound Group by 286.3% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 86,450 shares of the company's stock worth $2,071,000 after purchasing an additional 64,073 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in Upbound Group by 73.0% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 532,809 shares of the company's stock worth $12,766,000 after purchasing an additional 224,811 shares during the period. Finally, Petrus Trust Company LTA acquired a new stake in Upbound Group in the first quarter worth approximately $466,000. 90.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Upbound Group Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ UPBD traded down $0.18 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $25.32. The company had a trading volume of 155,837 shares, compared to its average volume of 601,911. Upbound Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $19.65 and a twelve month high of $36.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.29, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 3.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.47 billion, a PE ratio of 14.23 and a beta of 1.77. The stock's 50 day moving average is $24.47 and its 200-day moving average is $24.05.

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

Upbound Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be given a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 30th. Upbound Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 87.64%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Ralph T. Montrone sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.23, for a total value of $151,380.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 49,123 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,239,373.29. This trade represents a 10.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jeffrey J. Brown bought 1,653 shares of Upbound Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 8th. The stock was bought at an average price of $25.90 per share, with a total value of $42,812.70. Following the purchase, the director owned 89,400 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,315,460. This trade represents a 1.88% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 2.60% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UPBD has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Upbound Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 30th. BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating and set a $40.00 target price on shares of Upbound Group in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. Finally, Loop Capital raised shares of Upbound Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $36.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $36.80.

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.