Stephens Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Upstart (NASDAQ:UPST) Stock Price

Upstart (NASDAQ:UPST) had its price target cut by analysts at Stephens from $26.00 to $24.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Stephens‘s target price points to a potential upside of 3.36% from the stock’s previous close.

UPST has been the topic of a number of other reports. B. Riley Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $42.00 price target (down from $54.00) on shares of Upstart in a research note on Wednesday. Mizuho set a $35.00 price objective on Upstart in a research note on Wednesday. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $28.00 price objective on shares of Upstart in a report on Wednesday. BTIG Research decreased their target price on Upstart from $43.00 to $40.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Needham & Company LLC lowered their target price on Upstart from $42.00 to $30.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $35.38.

Upstart Stock Performance

Shares of Upstart stock traded up $1.85 on Wednesday, reaching $23.22. The company had a trading volume of 5,387,869 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,679,273. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $24.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $29.76. The firm has a market cap of $2.26 billion, a PE ratio of 47.50, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 2.48. Upstart has a 52-week low of $20.59 and a 52-week high of $52.10.

Upstart (NASDAQ:UPST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 3rd. The company reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20 by $0.13. Upstart had a net margin of 4.84% and a return on equity of 7.13%. The firm had revenue of $370.52 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $362.68 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.23 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 33.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Upstart will post 0.72 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Upstart

In other Upstart news, CEO Paul Gu purchased 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $25.55 per share, for a total transaction of $1,277,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 130,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,321,500. The trade was a 62.50% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Natalia Mirgorodskaya sold 913 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.03, for a total transaction of $27,417.39. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 35,875 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,077,326.25. This trade represents a 2.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 148,652 shares of company stock worth $4,133,720. 17.29% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Upstart by 267.1% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,022,780 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,234,000 after buying an additional 744,190 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in shares of Upstart in the 2nd quarter valued at about $9,681,000. Alberta Investment Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of Upstart in the 2nd quarter valued at about $8,461,000. Maxi Investments CY Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Upstart in the 2nd quarter valued at about $6,852,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Upstart by 654.0% during the 3rd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 126,246 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,902,000 after acquiring an additional 109,502 shares in the last quarter. 63.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Upstart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Upstart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Upstart beat Q3 estimates, reporting $0.33 per share versus the $0.20 consensus and $370.5 million in revenue versus $362.7 million expected. Revenue grew 33.7% year over year; the company also reported record contribution profit and profitability in its secured-loan business. Earnings results
• Positive Sentiment: Truist maintained a Buy rating, though it lowered its price target to $30 from $40, leaving material upside implied by its estimate. Truist price target report
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the Q3 beat, Upstart cut its 2026 outlook amid rising credit risks and funding costs. That caution clouds the earnings beat and may weigh on expectations for future growth and profitability. Q3 results and outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Several firms reduced their targets on November 4: Morgan Stanley cut its target to $24 from $35 and assigned Equal Weight; Goldman Sachs lowered its target to $24 from $28 and kept a Neutral rating. B. Riley also reduced its target, to $42 from $54, while retaining Buy. The revisions suggest analysts see limited near-term upside or increased uncertainty. Morgan Stanley target revision Goldman Sachs target revision

About Upstart

Upstart Holdings, Inc (NASDAQ: UPST) operates an artificial intelligence-powered lending marketplace. Its platform connects consumers seeking credit with banks and credit unions, using data-driven underwriting models designed to evaluate applicants beyond traditional credit-score-based methods.

The company provides technology for several lending categories, including personal loans, automotive retail and refinance lending, home equity lines of credit, and small-dollar lending. Upstart’s platform supports financial institutions with application processing, risk assessment, loan origination, and related automation, while offering consumers a digital borrowing experience.

Founded in 2012, Upstart is headquartered in San Mateo, California, and primarily serves the United States.