Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) Trading Down 6.3%

Upbound Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPBD)’s stock price traded down 6.3% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $29.14 and last traded at $29.63. 172,185 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 55% from the average session volume of 379,569 shares. The stock had previously closed at $31.62.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on UPBD shares. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Upbound Group in a report on Friday, March 8th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $43.00 price target for the company. KeyCorp raised their target price on shares of Upbound Group from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 23rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Upbound Group presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $38.17.

Upbound Group Price Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $32.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $31.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.33, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 3.12. The stock has a market cap of $1.62 billion, a PE ratio of -245.31, a PEG ratio of 4.06 and a beta of 1.99.

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 22nd. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.04. Upbound Group had a negative net margin of 0.13% and a positive return on equity of 32.65%. The firm had revenue of $1.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $994.27 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.86 earnings per share. Upbound Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Upbound Group, Inc. will post 3.76 EPS for the current year.

Upbound Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 22nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 3rd were paid a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 2nd. Upbound Group’s payout ratio is -1,233.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Jeffrey J. Brown purchased 991 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 22nd. The shares were bought at an average price of $30.68 per share, with a total value of $30,403.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 83,138 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,550,673.84. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Upbound Group news, Director Jeffrey J. Brown acquired 991 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 22nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $30.68 per share, for a total transaction of $30,403.88. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 83,138 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,550,673.84. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Anthony J. Blasquez sold 12,485 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.18, for a total value of $414,252.30. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 58,967 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,956,525.06. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Upbound Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC bought a new stake in Upbound Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale bought a new stake in shares of Upbound Group in the third quarter valued at about $32,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Upbound Group during the third quarter worth about $38,000. Bramshill Investments LLC bought a new position in Upbound Group during the third quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, CWM LLC acquired a new position in Upbound Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.30% of the company’s stock.

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.