Aaron’s (NYSE:PRG) Rating Lowered to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Aaron’s (NYSE:PRG) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. BTIG Research raised shares of Aaron’s from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $31.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Aaron’s in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. B. Riley began coverage on shares of Aaron’s in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $50.00 target price for the company. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price target on Aaron’s from $41.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Aaron’s has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $38.83.

Aaron’s Stock Up 5.0%

Shares of Aaron’s stock opened at $32.29 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $29.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $31.22. Aaron’s has a 52-week low of $23.50 and a 52-week high of $44.42. The company has a market cap of $1.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.19 and a beta of 1.75. The company has a quick ratio of 2.65, a current ratio of 4.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85.

Aaron’s (NYSE:PRG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 22nd. The company reported $0.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.17. Aaron’s had a return on equity of 22.36% and a net margin of 6.54%.The business had revenue of $595.11 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $586.11 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.77 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. Aaron’s has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.350-3.450 EPS and its Q4 2025 guidance at 0.550-0.650 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Aaron’s will post 3.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aaron’s

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Aaron’s by 451.1% during the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 702,781 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,742,000 after purchasing an additional 575,255 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management lifted its stake in shares of Aaron’s by 172.0% in the third quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 842,274 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,256,000 after buying an additional 532,593 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG boosted its holdings in Aaron’s by 102.4% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 823,663 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,654,000 after acquiring an additional 416,658 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC increased its position in Aaron’s by 62.7% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 673,405 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,913,000 after buying an additional 259,630 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in Aaron’s during the 2nd quarter valued at $6,191,000. Institutional investors own 97.92% of the company’s stock.

Aaron’s Company Profile

PROG Holdings, Inc (NYSE: PRG), formerly known as Aaron’s, is a North American provider of lease-to-own and consumer finance solutions. The company operates through two primary segments: Aaron’s Business Solutions and Progressive Financial Services. Through Aaron’s Business Solutions, PROG offers customers access to furniture, electronics, home appliances and technology products via lease ownership arrangements, serving both individual consumers and small businesses.

The Progressive Financial Services segment provides lease-purchase and retail point-of-sale financing programs to customers with limited credit histories.