Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) Upgraded by Zacks Research to “Hold” Rating

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Upbound Group in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Upbound Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Upbound Group in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $32.25.

Upbound Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:UPBD traded down $0.01 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $19.77. 116,354 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 803,366. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $19.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $19.23. The firm has a market cap of $1.15 billion, a PE 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 has a 52 week low of $15.82 and a 52 week high of $28.02.

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The company reported $1.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.04. The company 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 firm’s revenue was up 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $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 will post 4.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Upbound Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 28th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 7th will be paid a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 7th. Upbound Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 125.81%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Upbound Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Quarry LP boosted its position in shares of Upbound Group by 913.1% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,388 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 1,251 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of Upbound Group by 238.3% during the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,448 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 1,020 shares during the last quarter. Security National Bank bought a new position in shares of Upbound Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its position in shares of Upbound Group by 18.7% during the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 3,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 535 shares during the last quarter. 90.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.