UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Raises Holdings in Upbound Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPBD)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in Upbound Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPBD - Free Report) by 18.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 140,151 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 21,568 shares during the quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned about 0.26% of Upbound Group worth $4,088,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in UPBD. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Upbound Group in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Upbound Group by 45.0% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,271 shares of the company's stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 705 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Upbound Group by 12.8% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,785 shares of the company's stock worth $110,000 after buying an additional 429 shares in the last quarter. Vestcor Inc bought a new stake in shares of Upbound Group in the 4th quarter worth about $174,000. Finally, Freestone Grove Partners LP bought a new stake in shares of Upbound Group in the 4th quarter worth about $221,000. Institutional investors own 90.30% of the company's stock.

Upbound Group Trading Up 3.8%

Shares of UPBD traded up $0.94 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $25.42. The stock had a trading volume of 492,704 shares, compared to its average volume of 517,709. The stock's 50 day moving average is $22.68 and its 200 day moving average is $26.78. The firm has a market cap of $1.47 billion, a PE ratio of 11.50 and a beta of 1.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.08, a current ratio of 3.66 and a quick ratio of 0.86. Upbound Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $19.69 and a 1 year high of $38.72.

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.06. Upbound Group had a return on equity of 35.47% and a net margin of 2.86%. The firm had revenue of $1.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.13 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.79 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Upbound Group, Inc. will post 4.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Upbound Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 17th will be paid a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 17th. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.14%. Upbound Group's payout ratio is 73.24%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on UPBD. Raymond James reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $35.00 price target (down previously from $40.00) on shares of Upbound Group in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Loop Capital decreased their price objective on Upbound Group from $33.00 to $30.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Upbound Group presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $34.50.

Insider Transactions at Upbound Group

In related news, Director Jeffrey J. Brown purchased 21,730 shares of Upbound Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were bought at an average price of $23.75 per share, with a total value of $516,087.50. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 21,730 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $516,087.50. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Fahmi Karam acquired 11,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $25.82 per share, with a total value of $296,930.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer now directly owns 164,672 shares in the company, valued at $4,251,831.04. This represents a 7.51% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders acquired 34,924 shares of company stock worth $846,711. 2.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Upbound Group

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.