Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) Given Hold (C) Rating at Weiss Ratings

Key Points

• Weiss Ratings has maintained a "hold (c)" rating for Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD), despite other analysts upgrading their ratings to "buy".
• Upbound Group reported $1.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the last quarter, exceeding consensus estimates, and projected EPS guidance of 4.050-4.40 for FY 2025.
• The company is experiencing significant interest from institutional investors, with holdings increasing by 517.8% from one firm alone.

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "hold (c)" rating restated by research analysts at Weiss Ratings in a research note issued on Wednesday,Weiss Ratings reports.

UPBD has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Upbound Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 30th. Loop Capital raised shares of Upbound Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $36.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, September 15th. Finally, BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating and set a $40.00 price objective on shares of Upbound Group in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $37.25.

Upbound Group Stock Performance

Upbound Group stock traded up $0.74 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $21.48. 722,406 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 836,265. Upbound Group has a 12-month low of $19.65 and a 12-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 cap of $1.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.03 and a beta of 1.77. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $24.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $23.94.

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $1.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.07. The company 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%. Upbound Group's revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.04 EPS. Upbound Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.050-4.40 EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at 0.950-1.05 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Upbound Group will post 4.28 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Upbound Group news, EVP Ralph T. Montrone sold 6,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.23, for a total transaction of $151,380.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 49,123 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,239,373.29. The trade was a 10.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 2.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Upbound Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Ieq Capital LLC lifted its stake in Upbound Group by 517.8% during the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 4,535,114 shares of the company's stock valued at $113,831,000 after acquiring an additional 3,801,043 shares in the last quarter. Azora Capital LP purchased a new position in Upbound Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $18,961,000. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in shares of Upbound Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $10,023,000. LSV Asset Management lifted its position in Upbound Group by 20.9% in the 2nd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 2,041,415 shares of the company's stock worth $51,240,000 after buying an additional 352,264 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bragg Financial Advisors Inc increased its stake in shares of Upbound Group by 78.3% during the first quarter. Bragg Financial Advisors Inc now owns 724,231 shares of the company's stock valued at $17,353,000 after buying an additional 318,060 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.30% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.