Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) Shares Gap Up - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• Upbound shares gapped up to open at $20.75 and last traded around $20.51, with analysts holding a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating and an average price target of $32.25.
• The company beat quarterly estimates with $1.01 EPS versus $0.97 expected and revenue of $1.20B (+10.8% YoY), and issued FY2026 guidance of $4.00–$4.35 EPS (consensus ~$4.13).
• Upbound declared a quarterly dividend of $0.39 (annualized yield ~7.9%), but the payout ratio is an elevated 125.8%, and institutional ownership is high at about 90.3%.

Upbound Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPBD - Get Free Report) shares gapped up before the market opened on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $19.91, but opened at $20.75. Upbound Group shares last traded at $20.5110, with a volume of 179,891 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. 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. TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Upbound Group in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Upbound Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Upbound Group presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $32.25.

Upbound Group Stock Down 0.3%

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 has a market capitalization of $1.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.01 and a beta of 1.85. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $19.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $19.25.

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The company reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $1.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.17 billion. Upbound Group had a return on equity of 35.23% and a net margin of 1.56%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.05 EPS. 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. On average, equities analysts expect that Upbound Group, Inc. will post 4.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Upbound Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 28th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 7th will be given a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 7th. Upbound Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 125.81%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UPBD. Huber Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Upbound Group by 80.2% in the 4th quarter. Huber Capital Management LLC now owns 1,739,045 shares of the company's stock worth $30,538,000 after purchasing an additional 773,775 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 491,536 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 472,550 shares during the period. 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. 90.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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

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