Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Has $3.01 Million Stock Holdings in Upbound Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPBD)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake in shares of Upbound Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPBD) by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 94,129 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,032 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned 0.17% of Upbound Group worth $3,011,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of Upbound Group by 47.9% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,118 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 362 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd boosted its position in 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 during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Upbound Group in the second quarter valued at $42,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Upbound Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $89,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in Upbound Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $142,000. Institutional investors own 90.30% of the company’s stock.

Upbound Group Price Performance

NASDAQ UPBD opened at $34.40 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 3.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02. The company has a market cap of $1.88 billion, a PE ratio of 24.14 and a beta of 2.01. Upbound Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $26.50 and a 52 week high of $38.72. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $30.53 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $31.57.

Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.04 billion. Upbound Group had a return on equity of 34.15% and a net margin of 1.91%. The company’s revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.79 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Upbound Group, Inc. will post 3.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Upbound Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were paid a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 1st. Upbound Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 102.07%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on UPBD shares. Stephens began 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. Loop Capital dropped their price objective on shares of Upbound Group from $36.00 to $33.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Upbound Group from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Upbound Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $39.17.

Insider Buying and Selling at Upbound Group

In other news, Director Jeffrey J. Brown purchased 1,065 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 22nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $29.25 per share, with a total value of $31,151.25. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 85,234 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,493,094.50. This represents a 1.27 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.70% 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.