Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) Director Jeffrey Brown Acquires 2,329 Shares

Key Points

• Insider buy: Director Jeffrey Brown acquired 2,329 shares on April 28 at an average cost of $19.41, raising his holdings to 94,840 shares (a 2.52% increase), as disclosed in an SEC filing.
• Q1 results and guidance: Upbound beat Q1 EPS estimates with $1.08 vs. $1.06 consensus and revenue up 3.7% YoY, and set Q2 EPS guidance of $1.00–$1.10 and FY2026 guidance of $4.00–$4.35.
• Dividend and financial risks: The company pays a $0.39 quarterly dividend (about a 7.9% yield) but has a payout ratio of ~125.8% and elevated leverage (debt/equity ≈2.26, quick ratio ≈0.78), indicating potential liquidity sensitivity.

Upbound Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPBD - Get Free Report) Director Jeffrey Brown acquired 2,329 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $19.41 per share, with a total value of $45,205.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 94,840 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,840,844.40. This represents a 2.52% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Upbound Group Trading Up 4.3%

Shares of Upbound Group stock traded up $0.82 on Thursday, hitting $19.76. 1,790,572 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 823,872. The company has a fifty day moving average of $19.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $19.17. Upbound Group, Inc. has a one year low of $15.82 and a one year high of $28.02. The company has a market capitalization of $1.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.94 and a beta of 1.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a current ratio of 2.92 and a quick ratio of 0.78.

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.02. Upbound Group had a return on equity of 35.23% and a net margin of 1.56%.Upbound Group's revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.00 EPS. Upbound Group has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.000-1.100 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 4.000-4.350 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Upbound Group, Inc. will post 4.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Upbound Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 28th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 7th were paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 7th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.9%. Upbound Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 125.81%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Upbound Group

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPBD. Huber Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Upbound Group by 80.2% during the 4th quarter. Huber Capital Management LLC now owns 1,739,045 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,538,000 after purchasing an additional 773,775 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management boosted its stake in shares of Upbound Group by 24.1% in the 3rd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 2,532,951 shares of the company's stock worth $59,854,000 after buying an additional 491,536 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in shares of Upbound Group by 60.3% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,255,874 shares of the company's stock worth $29,676,000 after buying an additional 472,550 shares during the last quarter. Lido Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Upbound Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $8,681,000. Finally, Bridgeway Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Upbound Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $7,781,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on UPBD. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Upbound Group in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Wall Street Zen raised Upbound Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Zacks Research raised Upbound Group from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Upbound Group in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $32.25.

Key Upbound Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting Upbound Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 EPS beat and margin improvement — Upbound reported $1.08 EPS vs. $1.06 consensus, with net margin expansion, a return on equity of ~35% and stronger cash flow, which supports near-term profitability expectations. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Brigit subscriber growth — Management highlighted subscriber gains in its Brigit product as a driver of recurring revenue and margin leverage, a key fundamental driver investors liked. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue modestly up but missed estimates — Revenue grew ~3.7% YoY but slightly missed analyst expectations, so top-line momentum is positive but not strong. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Guidance provided with a cautious tone — Q2 EPS guidance of $1.00–$1.10 (consensus ~$1.05) and FY 2026 EPS $4.00–$4.35 (consensus ~$4.18) plus revenue ranges ($1.1B–$1.2B Q2; $4.7B–$5.0B FY) give investors a clear outlook but include conservative lower bounds that could limit upside. Press Release / Slide Deck
• Negative Sentiment: Leverage and liquidity metrics — The company carries notable debt (D/E ~2.26) and a quick ratio under 1.0, which raises sensitivity to slower revenue growth or margin pressure. This can amplify downside risk if macro conditions worsen. Market Data

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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