Upbound Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPBD) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analyst consensus: Six analysts give Upbound Group an average rating of "Moderate Buy" (4 buys, 1 hold, 1 sell) with a 12‑month average price target of $32.25.
• Heavy institutional ownership: Hedge funds and institutions own 90.3% of the stock, with recent increases including Invesco boosting its stake to 548,630 shares (~$9.63M) and HSBC initiating a ~$398k position.
• Results and payout: Upbound beat estimates with Q4 EPS $1.01 vs $0.97 and revenue $1.20B vs $1.17B, set FY2026 EPS guidance of $4.00–4.35, and announced a $0.39 quarterly dividend (annualized yield ~8.2%) despite a payout ratio of ~125.8%.

Upbound Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPBD - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the six brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has given a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $32.25.

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on UPBD shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Upbound Group in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Wall Street Zen raised Upbound Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Zacks Research cut Upbound Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Upbound Group in a research report on Thursday, January 8th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Hsbc Holdings PLC purchased a new position in shares of Upbound Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $398,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Upbound Group by 28.1% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 548,630 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,634,000 after buying an additional 120,333 shares during the period. Vident Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of Upbound Group by 33.2% during the fourth quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 33,108 shares of the company's stock valued at $581,000 after buying an additional 8,253 shares during the period. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury boosted its position in shares of Upbound Group by 40.3% during the fourth quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 57,873 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,094,000 after buying an additional 16,615 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of Upbound Group by 9.5% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 214,851 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,773,000 after buying an additional 18,584 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.30% of the company's stock.

Upbound Group Trading Down 2.2%

Shares of UPBD stock opened at $18.92 on Thursday. Upbound Group has a 12-month low of $15.82 and a 12-month high of $28.02. The company has a current ratio of 2.92, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $19.35 and its 200-day moving average price is $19.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.26 and a beta of 1.85.

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The company reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.04. Upbound Group had a return on equity of 35.23% and a net margin of 1.56%.The company had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.17 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.05 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. Upbound Group has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.050-1.150 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 4.000-4.350 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Upbound Group 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, April 28th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 7th will be given a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 7th. Upbound Group's payout ratio is 125.81%.

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. It offers furniture comprising mattresses, tires, consumer electronics, appliances, tools, handbags, computers, smartphones, and accessories.

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