Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) Reaches New 52-Week Low – Should You Sell?

Shares of Upbound Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPBD) reached a new 52-week low on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $23.86 and last traded at $23.76, with a volume of 59350 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $24.35.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on UPBD. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Upbound Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 29th. Loop Capital reduced their target price on shares of 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, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $37.00.

Upbound Group Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $1.41 billion, a PE ratio of 11.11 and a beta of 2.01. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $28.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $30.10. The company has a current ratio of 3.66, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.08.

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.02. Upbound Group had a net margin of 2.86% and a return on equity of 35.47%. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.06 billion. On average, equities analysts predict that Upbound Group, Inc. will post 4.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Upbound Group news, CFO Fahmi Karam purchased 11,500 shares of Upbound Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $25.82 per share, with a total value of $296,930.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer now 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 purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jeffrey J. Brown bought 1,146 shares of Upbound Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $29.01 per share, for a total transaction of $33,245.46. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 86,380 shares in the company, valued at $2,505,883.80. The trade was a 1.34 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 2.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Upbound Group

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPBD. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Upbound Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Covestor Ltd boosted its position in shares of Upbound Group by 268.8% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,136 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 828 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Upbound Group by 45.0% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,271 shares of the company’s stock worth $73,000 after buying an additional 705 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP increased its position in Upbound Group by 374.3% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 3,282 shares of the company’s stock valued at $105,000 after acquiring an additional 2,590 shares during the period. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in Upbound Group by 12.8% during 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 in 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.