Upbound Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPBD) Shares Bought by D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc.

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Upbound Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPBD - Free Report) by 13.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 362,525 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 42,695 shares during the quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. owned approximately 0.66% of Upbound Group worth $10,575,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Upbound Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ UPBD traded down $0.07 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $24.95. The company had a trading volume of 38,941 shares, compared to its average volume of 534,572. Upbound Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $19.68 and a 1 year high of $38.72. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $22.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $27.64. The company has a current ratio of 3.66, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.08. The stock has a market cap of $1.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.29 and a beta of 1.77.

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

Upbound Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 22nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.25%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 2nd. Upbound Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.24%.

Insider Activity at Upbound Group

In other Upbound Group news, CFO Fahmi Karam bought 11,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $25.82 per share, for a total transaction of $296,930.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 164,672 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,251,831.04. This trade represents a 7.51% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Jeffrey J. Brown acquired 21,730 shares of Upbound Group stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at approximately $516,087.50. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have bought a total of 34,924 shares of company stock worth $846,711 over the last quarter. Insiders own 2.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on UPBD. Raymond James reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $35.00 price objective (down previously from $40.00) on shares of Upbound Group in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Loop Capital decreased their price objective on Upbound Group from $33.00 to $30.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $36.60.

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.