Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) Trading Up 5% After Insider Buying Activity

Shares of Upbound Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPBD) were up 5% during mid-day trading on Friday following insider buying activity. The company traded as high as $21.36 and last traded at $21.33. Approximately 168,784 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 80% from the average daily volume of 852,542 shares. The stock had previously closed at $20.32.

Specifically, Director Jeffrey J. Brown purchased 2,295 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 7th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $20.09 per share, with a total value of $46,106.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 96,681 shares in the company, valued at $1,942,321.29. The trade was a 2.43% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on UPBD shares. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Upbound Group from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Zacks Research downgraded Upbound Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Upbound Group in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Upbound Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $31.00.

Upbound Group Trading Up 5.9%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.01, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 3.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.86 and a beta of 1.79. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $18.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $19.05.

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.23 billion. Upbound Group had a net margin of 1.78% and a return on equity of 35.56%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.00 EPS. Upbound Group has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.000-1.100 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 4.000-4.350 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Upbound Group, Inc. will post 4.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Upbound Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.2%. Upbound Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 109.09%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Upbound Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPBD. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Upbound Group by 238.3% in the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,448 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 1,020 shares in the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Upbound Group during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Quarry LP lifted 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 worth $33,000 after buying an additional 1,251 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted 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 worth $60,000 after buying an additional 535 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in Upbound Group by 49.9% in the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,685 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 1,226 shares in the last quarter. 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.