Upbound Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPBD) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Upbound Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPBD) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $39.17.

UPBD has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on Upbound Group from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. TD Cowen upgraded Upbound Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 29th. Loop Capital dropped their price target on Upbound Group from $36.00 to $33.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Stephens initiated coverage on Upbound Group in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $38.00 price target on the stock.

Upbound Group Stock Up 1.0 %

Upbound Group stock opened at $29.30 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $31.72 and its 200 day moving average price is $31.42. The company has a market cap of $1.60 billion, a PE ratio of 20.21 and a beta of 2.05. Upbound Group has a 1-year low of $26.50 and a 1-year high of $38.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 3.66 and a quick ratio of 0.86.

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.04 billion. Upbound Group had a return on equity of 34.15% and a net margin of 1.91%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.79 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Upbound Group will post 3.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Upbound Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 18th were paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. This is a positive change from Upbound Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 18th. Upbound Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 107.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Upbound Group

In related news, Director Jeffrey J. Brown acquired 1,065 shares of Upbound Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 22nd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $29.25 per share, with a total value of $31,151.25. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 85,234 shares in the company, valued at $2,493,094.50. The trade was a 1.27 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 2.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Upbound Group

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Upbound Group by 268.8% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,136 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 828 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Upbound Group by 40.1% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,566 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 448 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP lifted its holdings in shares of Upbound Group by 374.3% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 3,282 shares of the company’s stock valued at $105,000 after purchasing an additional 2,590 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Upbound Group in the third quarter valued at $142,000. Finally, nVerses Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Upbound Group in the third quarter valued at $192,000. 90.30% of the stock is 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.