Inspire Investing LLC Boosts Stake in Upbound Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPBD)

Inspire Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Upbound Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPBD) by 13.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 11,514 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,399 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC’s holdings in Upbound Group were worth $353,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Upbound Group by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,005,494 shares of the company’s stock worth $211,453,000 after purchasing an additional 209,422 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Upbound Group by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,148,331 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,981,000 after buying an additional 62,832 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management raised its position in shares of Upbound Group by 43.0% in the first quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 1,693,695 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,635,000 after buying an additional 509,343 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in shares of Upbound Group by 2.0% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 761,765 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,386,000 after buying an additional 15,219 shares during the period. Finally, Huber Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Upbound Group by 25.2% during the first quarter. Huber Capital Management LLC now owns 492,195 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,330,000 after acquiring an additional 99,004 shares during the last quarter. 90.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Upbound Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:UPBD opened at $30.33 on Monday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $32.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $32.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.66 billion, a PE ratio of -65.93 and a beta of 2.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.21, a current ratio of 3.96 and a quick ratio of 0.84. Upbound Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $25.00 and a 12 month high of $38.72.

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.01. Upbound Group had a net margin of 1.31% and a return on equity of 32.94%. The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.11 earnings per share. Upbound Group’s revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Upbound Group, Inc. will post 3.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Upbound Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be issued a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.88%. Upbound Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently -321.74%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Upbound Group from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. BTIG Research started coverage on Upbound Group in a research report on Friday, June 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $45.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Loop Capital restated a “hold” rating and issued a $36.00 price target on shares of Upbound Group in a report on Friday, September 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $39.40.

Insider Buying and Selling at Upbound Group

In other news, EVP Ralph T. Montrone sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.48, for a total value of $487,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 40,074 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,301,603.52. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, EVP Ralph T. Montrone sold 15,000 shares of Upbound Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.48, for a total transaction of $487,200.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 40,074 shares in the company, valued at $1,301,603.52. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Jeffrey J. Brown bought 1,031 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 9th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $29.82 per share, with a total value of $30,744.42. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 84,169 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,509,919.58. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 2.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Upbound Group 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.