Upstart se soustředí na své hlavní osobní úvěry, jejichž růst ve 2. čtvrtletí zrychlil na zhruba 3,5násobek souhrnného tempa předchozích tří čtvrtletí.
Pathward’s Credit Scare Tests Its Comeback StoryUpstart NASDAQ: UPST CEO Paul Gu said the company is concentrating its efforts on expanding its core personal loan business, which he described as the company’s most differentiated and highest-margin product. Gu said the segment’s growth accelerated in the second quarter, with core personal loan growth reaching roughly 3.5 times the growth recorded across the prior three quarters combined.
Gu, who previously served as Upstart’s chief technology officer, said the company has shifted internal priorities across marketing, application conversion, approvals, rate acceptance and verification to emphasize personal loans. He said the company had previously directed more resources toward other initiatives but has since refocused teams on increasing personal loan volume.
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MarketBeat Week in Review – 03/30 - 04/03“Core personal loans is what we’re really, really good at doing,” Gu said, citing the company’s ability to separate credit risk and identify borrowers it believes can be uniquely underwritten in the market.
Product Priorities and Secured Lending While Upstart continues to pursue newer products, Gu said the company has narrowed its list of priorities. He said Upstart paused its auto refinance product because it did not have the same potential, growth profile or momentum as other initiatives.
Upstart Surges on Record Revenue but Wall Street Remains DividedGu said the remaining product bets have large addressable markets, are adjacent to areas in which Upstart already has expertise, and have sufficient momentum to justify additional investment. The company’s secured lending products include auto lending and home equity lines of credit, or HELOCs.
For those newer secured products, Gu said Upstart first focused on validating demand and building third-party capital-provider relationships before turning to unit economics. He said the company believes it has demonstrated demand from auto dealerships and from HELOC borrowers seeking its rates and process.
Upstart is now working to move the secured products from negative contribution margins to profitability. Gu said the company expects those products to reach break-even before the end of the year, after which it plans to focus more heavily on scaling them. He declined to project their long-term margins but said there was no theoretical reason they could not eventually approach the economics of the core personal loan business.
Consumer Stress Remains Elevated Gu discussed the company’s Upstart Macro Index, or UMI, which measures the likelihood that consumers will default on unsecured consumer credit relative to pre-COVID levels. A reading of 1.0 corresponds to conditions in 2018, 2019 and early 2020, he said.
With the UMI at approximately 1.5 as of Sept. 3, Gu said a consumer with the same borrower and loan characteristics was about 50% more likely to default than before the pandemic. He said the index had risen by 12 points since the spring.
Gu attributed the pressure on borrowers in part to inflation exceeding wage growth over roughly the prior six months. He also cited credit card utilization and delinquency data as evidence that American borrowers are under more stress than they were six months earlier.
Still, Gu said investors should not place too much emphasis on short-term changes in the macro index. He said Upstart does not provide near-term results guidance partly because it wants to respond quickly to changing credit conditions. Over a multiyear period, he said, durable improvements in marketing, automation, underwriting and risk separation should matter more than monthly macroeconomic movements.
Gu said that despite higher interest rates and greater consumer stress than in 2021, Upstart is generating more contribution profit than it did during that more favorable macroeconomic period. He attributed that result to several years of technology improvements.
Technology, Capital and Bank Plans Gu said Upstart has continued to improve its lending models since its founding in 2012 and has not exhausted potential avenues for advancement. He said the company has more than 140 million training data points and expects additional data, computing improvements and research into learning algorithms to support increasingly sophisticated models over time.
He described the company as a relatively advanced adopter of artificial intelligence tools internally, saying the technology has contributed to more code being written and faster ticket resolution. Gu said he expects those gains to translate over time into greater revenue growth per employee, though he noted it can be difficult to attribute results precisely.
On funding, Gu said Upstart has retained all of its capital partners in recent years, with agreements being renewed for longer terms, larger amounts and generally better terms. He said the company has not seen evidence that competitors’ funding or marketing activity has materially hurt its ability to originate loans.
Gu also said the company’s planned national bank remains its largest single project in 2026. He said the bank has conditional approval and is expected to launch in early 2027. The investment will be a cost center in 2026, but Gu said it should provide operational benefits by reducing complexity associated with working with nearly 100 originating partners that operate under varying regulatory requirements.
He said the bank does not represent a change in Upstart’s primarily third-party funding strategy. However, it could allow the company to fund some of the approximately $1 billion of loans on its balance sheet more efficiently through lower-cost deposit funding and leverage.
Gu said operating-expense growth is expected to slow to low single-digit quarter-over-quarter growth in the second half of the year. He said Upstart expects to gain operating leverage as secured products improve, internal AI investments mature and the bank project moves toward its anticipated 2027 launch.
About Upstart (NASDAQ:UPST)Upstart Holdings, Inc operates a cloud-based lending marketplace that leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning to assess borrower creditworthiness. The company partners with banks and credit unions, providing its proprietary AI models and underwriting platform to facilitate consumer credit products. By focusing on non‐traditional data points—such as education, employment history and other real‐time indicators—Upstart seeks to improve approval rates and lower loss rates compared with conventional credit scoring methods.
Upstart's core offering centers on unsecured personal loans, which borrowers can use for purposes such as debt consolidation, home improvements or major purchases.
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It has been about a month since the last earnings report for Upstart Holdings, Inc. (UPST - Free Report) . Shares have lost about 6.7% in that time frame, underperforming the S&P 500.
Will the recent negative trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is Upstart due for a breakout? Well, first let's take a quick look at the latest earnings report in order to get a better handle on the recent catalysts for Upstart Holdings, Inc. before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late.
Upstart Q2 Revenues Climb as Profitability ImprovesKey Highlights• Revenues: $364.7 million in second-quarter 2026, up 42% year over year.
• EPS: 16 cents, up 220% year over year from 5 cents in the prior-year quarter.
• Revenues from fees: $348 million, up 45% year over year, with platform/referral fees of $284.1 million, servicing/other fees of $54.8 million and loan sales fees of $9.1 million.
• GAAP net income: $16.5 million, up 195% year over year from $5.6 million in the prior-year quarter. Net income margin was 5% versus 2% a year earlier.
• Contribution profit: $193.1 million, up 37% year over year; contribution margin 55% compared to 58% in the prior-year quarter.
• Adjusted EBITDA: $76.9 million, up 45% year over year; adjusted EBITDA margin of 21% in second-quarter 2026.
• Originations: $4.2 billion, up 50% year over year; 558,014 loans originated, up 50% year over year.
Scale, Mix & Execution Drive Q2 ResultsTop-line growth was driven by higher marketplace originations, stronger fee revenues and continued expansion beyond core unsecured lending. Total originations rose to $4.2 billion, while fee-based revenues reached $348 million, as platform/referral fees, servicing/other fees and newly separated loan sales fees all contributed to the second quarter.
Profitability improved despite higher operating costs. GAAP net income increased to $16.54 million, adjusted EBITDA reached $76.9 million and adjusted EBITDA margin was 21%. Contribution profit reached an all-time high of $193.1 million, though contribution margin declined to 55% from 58% a year ago as product mix continued to include faster-growing secured products with lower current margins.
Unsecured Lending Remains the Core EngineUnsecured Lending, which includes personal loans, small-dollar loans and Cash Line, remained the largest contributor in the second quarter. Fee revenue rose 38% year over year to $326.3 million, while originations increased 38% year over year to $3.64 billion. Loan count reached 535,191 in the reported quarter.
Contribution profit in Unsecured Lending was $200.8 million compared with $147.3 million in prior-year quarter. Contribution margin was 62%, flat year over year and up six percentage points sequentially, supported by a larger mix of higher-margin core personal loans, lower customer acquisition costs as a percentage of originations and an expected seasonal pickup in demand.
Secured Products Continue to ScaleSecured products continued to grow rapidly, with fee revenue rising 465% year over year to $22 million. Secured originations reached $589 million, including $426 million from auto and $163 million from home products. Auto originations increased 264% year over year, while home originations rose 139%.
Margins in secured products remained negative but improved materially. Contribution margin was negative 35% compared with negative 176% in the prior-year quarter and negative 96% in the first quarter of 2026. Management attributed the improvement to better take rates, operational efficiencies, automation, funnel optimization and lower HELOC origination costs, which fell 15% sequentially.
Expenses Rise as Operating Leverage EmergesTotal operating expenses were $350.1 million, up 39% year over year and 11% sequentially. Management expects fixed expenses to grow at a low-single-digit sequential pace in the third and fourth quarters of 2026.
Funding & Balance Sheet TrendsUpstart ended the quarter with $456 million in cash and cash equivalents and $526.3 million in restricted cash. Loans at fair value totaled $1.06 billion, while beneficial interest assets were $545.9 million.
The balance sheet continued to reflect a capital-light marketplace model. Loans held on Upstart’s balance sheet accounted for just 5.9% of total outstanding loans, the lowest level in nearly two years.
Management Commentary & OutlookManagement maintained full-year 2026 guidance for total revenues of approximately $1.4 billion, fee revenues of about $1.3 billion and adjusted EBITDA of $294 million, implying a 21% margin.
Management highlighted progress in reaccelerating core personal loans, improving the profitability of Home and Auto, maintaining capital efficiency and driving a rebound in overall profitability. The company also received OCC conditional approval for its national bank charter in July 2026, with additional regulatory approvals and operational work; management’s targeted launch is in early 2027.
How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then?In the past month, investors have witnessed a upward trend in estimates review.
The consensus estimate has shifted -20.69% due to these changes.
VGM ScoresAt this time, Upstart has a subpar Growth Score of D, however its Momentum Score is doing a bit better with a C. Charting a somewhat similar path, the stock was allocated a grade of D on the value side, putting it in the bottom 40% for value investors.
Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of D. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in.
OutlookEstimates have been trending upward for the stock, and the magnitude of this revision indicates a downward shift. Interestingly, Upstart has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). We expect a below average return from the stock in the next few months.
Performance of an Industry PlayerUpstart is part of the Zacks Financial - Miscellaneous Services industry. Over the past month, Moody's (MCO - Free Report) , a stock from the same industry, has gained 1.2%. The company reported its results for the quarter ended June 2026 more than a month ago.
Moody's reported revenues of $2.19 billion in the last reported quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +15.1%. EPS of $4.68 for the same period compares with $3.56 a year ago.
Moody's is expected to post earnings of $4.26 per share for the current quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +8.7%. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate remained unchanged.
The overall direction and magnitude of estimate revisions translate into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for Moody's. Also, the stock has a VGM Score of C.
SoFi ve 2. čtvrtletí zvýšila upravené čisté tržby o 40 % na 1,21 miliardy USD a čistý zisk podle GAAP dosáhl 157 milionů USD. Management navíc zvýšil celoroční výhled upravených tržeb na 4,75 až 4,85 miliardy USD.
Key Takeaways SoFi emerges as the stronger portfolio candidate as diversified growth and profitability offset lending risk.SoFi posted 40 adjusted revenue growth, 44% EBITDA growth and $157 million in GAAP net income.Upstart's revenue rose 42%, but elevated UMI, external funding reliance and secured-product losses add risk. SoFi Technologies, Inc. (SOFI - Free Report) and Upstart Holdings, Inc. (UPST - Free Report) both sit at the intersection of consumer lending and financial technology. Each uses data, automation and digital distribution to make credit easier to access, while both are trying to widen their product sets and expand repeat customer relationships. Their second-quarter results also showed fast revenue and origination growth, giving investors two very different ways to participate in a healthier fintech lending cycle.
SoFi operates a regulated, deposit-funded financial platform spanning lending, banking, investing, payments and technology services. However, Upstart is primarily an AI-driven lending marketplace that depends more heavily on bank, credit-union and institutional capital partners to fund loans.
This makes SoFi more diversified across revenue sources, while Upstart is more directly exposed to credit demand, funding appetite and macro-driven default risk. The key question is which business model offers the stronger balance of growth, earnings durability and risk now.
The Case for SOFISoFi entered the second half of 2026 with strong operating momentum. Second-quarter adjusted net revenues rose 40% year over year to $1.21 billion, while adjusted EBITDA climbed 44% to $358 million. GAAP net income reached $157 million, showing that rapid growth is now arriving alongside meaningful profitability rather than replacing it.
The customer engine also looks healthy. Members increased 35% to 15.8 million, products rose 42% to 24.4 million, and 51% of new products were opened by existing members. This matters because SoFi can spread acquisition costs across more services, which is a structural advantage over Upstart's more credit-centered operating model.
Diversification is another key strength for SOFI. Financial Services and Technology Platform revenues together reached $551 million, or 46% of adjusted net revenues, while fee-based revenues totaled $472 million. SoFi is also expanding investing options, including new private-market funds from CAZ Investments and AngelList, giving members more reasons to stay within its ecosystem.
Lending remains important, but SoFi has more funding flexibility. Total originations hit $14.8 billion, including $3.1 billion through its loan platform business. Deposits reached $45.5 billion, supporting a 5.98% net interest margin. Compared with Upstart, SoFi can combine balance sheet lending with partner-funded originations instead of relying mainly on outside capital.
However, the main risk is that personal lending remains a major earnings driver, leaving SoFi exposed to credit and rate changes. Even so, management raised 2026 adjusted net revenue guidance to $4.75 billion to $4.85 billion while maintaining profitability targets. The broader model gives it more room to absorb lending volatility.
The Case for UPSTUpstart's second quarter was clearly better than its recent track record. Revenues rose 42% year over year to $365 million, originations increased 50% to $4.2 billion, and the company returned to GAAP profitability with $16.5 million of net income. Adjusted EBITDA reached $76.9 million, a 21% margin.
Its core technology remains a key strength. Upstart says its personal-loan model is 2.74 times as accurate as a traditional credit model, while 91% of funded loans were fully automated. Funding improved with committed capital capacity reaching $10.8 billion through Aug. 4, including a new Castlelake agreement covering up to $4 billion.
However, the problem is that newer businesses still lag. Auto and Home originations are growing quickly, but their combined contribution margin was still negative 35% in the second quarter. Management expects breakeven by the fourth quarter, yet that target still requires continued execution. SoFi's broader non-lending businesses already contribute at greater scale.
Macro sensitivity is also harder to ignore. Upstart's UMI reached 1.50 in early August, about 50% above its normal-economy baseline and the highest reading since January 2026. July originations were $1.40 billion, roughly in line with the second quarter's monthly average, suggesting that strong quarterly growth has not yet produced obvious acceleration.
Upstart kept guidance at about $1.4 billion of revenues and $294 million of adjusted EBITDA, rather than lifting it after the strong quarter. Management cited higher UMI as a headwind. With results still tied closely to consumer credit conditions and third-party funding, the recovery looks less durable than SoFi's, making the risk-reward profile increasingly difficult.
How Do Estimates Compare for SOFI & UPST?The Zacks Consensus Estimate for SoFi’s 2026 and 2027 sales implies year-over-year growth of 35.52% and 20.16%, respectively. Over the past month, estimates for SOFI’s 2026 and 2027 EPS have been revised marginally upward. Also, the consensus mark for 2026 and 2027 EPS suggests a year-over-year increase of 53.85% and 34.86%, respectively.
For SoFi Technologies:
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Upstart’s 2026 and 2027 sales calls for year-over-year growth of 36.00% and 30.93%, respectively. However, the consensus EPS estimates for both 2026 and 2027 have been revised downward over the past 30 days, though the figures suggest a year-over-year increase of 26.44% and 47.12%, respectively.
For Upstart:
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Price Performance and Valuation of SOFI & UPST
Over the past three months, SoFi shares have rallied 12.6% while Upstart shares have just inched up 0.9%. In comparison, the S&P 500 composite has advanced 2.4% in the same time frame.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
SOFI is trading at a forward 12-month price-to-sales of 4.20X, which is on par with its three-year median. Meanwhile, UPST is presently trading at a forward 12-month price-to-sales of 1.67X, which is below its three-year median of 3.91X.
On a forward price-to-sales basis, SoFi carried the richer valuation, while Upstart looks much cheaper on this measure, but the discount reflects a business with greater sensitivity to credit conditions, funding markets and execution in still-unprofitable secured products.
SoFi's premium is easier to understand because revenues are more diversified and profitability is stronger. Still, paying more for SoFi raises the bar for continued member growth, cross-product adoption and credit discipline. The valuation gap favors UPST on price alone, but not necessarily on business quality.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
ConclusionBoth companies are growing again, but the quality of that growth differs. SoFi combines lending momentum with deposits, fee income, investing, technology services and profitability, giving it several ways to keep expanding if one area slows. Upstart has improved its core personal-loan business and funding base, yet elevated UMI, loss-making secured products and heavier dependence on external capital keep its outlook more fragile.
For investors choosing between the two, SOFI is the stronger portfolio candidate to retain through normal volatility. UPST's rebound deserves credit, but its risk profile remains high enough that reducing or exiting the position looks more sensible.
While SOFI carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), UPST has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).
You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
CEO Paul Gu uvedl, že Upstart se zaměřuje na ziskový růst své AI platformy a rozšiřuje úvěry na auta a zajištěné úvěry na bydlení (HELOC). Tyto produkty mají být do konce roku ziskové na úrovni contribution profit.
MarketBeat Week in Review – 03/30 - 04/03Upstart NASDAQ: UPST CEO Paul Gu said the company is entering a “second leg” of its development, focused on converting its artificial-intelligence lending platform into sustained profitable growth while expanding into secured credit products.
Speaking at Bank of America’s SMID Cap Executive Insights event, Gu described Upstart as “AI for consumer lending,” operating a marketplace where consumers can seek personal loans, auto loans and home-equity lines of credit, or HELOCs. He said the company ultimately intends to offer a broader suite of consumer credit products.
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Upstart Surges on Record Revenue but Wall Street Remains DividedGu said Upstart’s strategy is based on using proprietary data and lending models to improve risk assessment and automate the credit process. According to Gu, better risk separation can allow lenders to approve more borrowers at similar loss rates or achieve lower losses at comparable approval rates.
Focus shifts to profitability and capital efficiency Gu, who recently became CEO after co-founding the company 14 years ago, said Upstart spent much of its first decade building its technology, repayment-data set and relationships with capital providers, rating agencies, banks and regulators. He said those efforts were necessary to demonstrate that its lending models could perform over the multiyear life of loans.
Why Upstart’s Bank Charter Bet Could Change EverythingIn 2026, management has narrowed its priorities around contribution profit, which Gu called the company’s best measure of operating progress. He said the second quarter provided evidence of the strategy, with contribution profit reaching a record level that exceeded the company’s fourth-quarter 2021 result despite what he described as less favorable macroeconomic conditions.
Gu said personal-loan originations increased 23% sequentially in the second quarter, representing approximately $760 million in growth. He added that Upstart’s balance-sheet loans declined to nearly a two-year low as a percentage of total loans outstanding, while third-party capital funded most of the growth.
“We did 23% sequential growth,” Gu said. “We did that while predominantly funding that with third-party funding.”
He said the company’s core personal-loan operation remains a key strategic focus because of its margins and competitive differentiation. While Upstart has also invested in broader products and markets, Gu said management’s focus on the core personal-loan business helped drive growth and contribution profit in the second quarter.
Gu reiterated the company’s longer-term expectation for a 35% compounded growth rate over the next several years, while noting that macroeconomic conditions can influence results. He said Upstart’s top priority remains “do credit right,” meaning growth must be balanced against credit performance.
Home and auto products target contribution profitability Upstart’s newer home and auto lending products expanded their contribution margins by 61 percentage points in the second quarter, according to Gu. He said the businesses are not yet contribution profitable, but management expects them to reach that point by the end of the year.
The improvement followed a shift in emphasis from proving borrower and investor demand to demonstrating unit economics. Gu said the company is targeting lower operating costs and more sophisticated pricing, or take-rate, optimization in the secured-lending products.
For HELOCs, he said verification costs and complexity are higher than for personal loans because of processes involving property liens and related documentation. Upstart sees opportunities to increase automation in those workflows.
In auto lending, Gu said the company is seeking to tailor economics more closely to the value it provides in individual dealership transactions. In some cases, he said, Upstart may be the only available financing source because of its ability to assess a borrower’s risk; in others, it competes in a more price-sensitive market.
Gu said home and auto could continue improving beyond break-even as Upstart adds value for borrowers, though he characterized that as a longer-term process.
Macro conditions offset operating execution Bank of America analyst Mihir Bhatia asked why Upstart maintained its full-year guidance despite an increase in UMI, a company metric tied to the macroeconomic environment and expected credit defaults. Gu said each five-point change in UMI can affect originations by roughly 5% to 10%, with revenue and contribution profit generally moving proportionately.
Gu said stronger execution in areas within Upstart’s control—including lending models, user experience, automation and customer reach—was offset by the macro headwind. He said the company likely would have raised guidance if UMI had remained in a lower portion of its previously anticipated range.
On a question about a 2024 loan vintage that appeared to be underperforming targets, Gu said overall credit performance has been strong and that variation between loan vintages is normal. He said changes in UMI can create tailwinds or headwinds for loans originated at different times, since the metric is correlated with default rates.
Investors weigh operating expenses, bank plans and cash use Gu acknowledged investor questions about operating expenses, capital needs and Upstart’s planned bank. He said operating costs have increased partly because of investments in new areas, but added that “the lion’s share” of that expense growth has occurred and that the growth rate in costs should slow considerably during the rest of the year.
Upstart has said it believes it has sufficient capitalization to open Upstart Bank early next year, according to Gu. He said the bank should be operationally and economically accretive by enabling the company to reach more states and extend more offers.
Gu also said the company views capital held on its balance sheet and in co-investment arrangements as a necessary part of its funding infrastructure rather than the primary driver of value. He said Upstart’s value should instead be measured by the growth of contribution profit, primarily fee revenue, and by the efficiency with which it uses equity capital.
Discussing capital allocation, Gu said Upstart had considered repurchasing convertible debt but concluded its stock offered a higher expected internal rate of return. He said the company will continue to weigh internal investment, stock repurchases and other uses of capital based on expected returns, while preserving sufficient cash for initiatives including the bank launch.
Gu also highlighted Cash Line, a newer product aimed at financially stressed consumers. He said the offering has shown strong customer demand but remains early in development, with further work needed on funding, credit calibration and unit economics.
About Upstart (NASDAQ:UPST)Upstart Holdings, Inc operates a cloud-based lending marketplace that leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning to assess borrower creditworthiness. The company partners with banks and credit unions, providing its proprietary AI models and underwriting platform to facilitate consumer credit products. By focusing on non‐traditional data points—such as education, employment history and other real‐time indicators—Upstart seeks to improve approval rates and lower loss rates compared with conventional credit scoring methods.
Upstart's core offering centers on unsecured personal loans, which borrowers can use for purposes such as debt consolidation, home improvements or major purchases.
This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected].
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Upstart ve 2. čtvrtletí zpracoval 91 % půjček plně automaticky pomocí AI, což podpořilo rekordní příspěvkový zisk ve výši 193 milionů USD. Firma zároveň oznámila schválení národní bankovní charty.
Upstart (UPST +0.22%) has had its share of ups and downs since the fintech went public in late 2020. The company, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to process loan requests, is currently in a downward trend, with the stock price sliding about 31% year to date.
But there are some promising trends, illuminated in its recent second-quarter earnings, that bear watching. Let's look at them.
Image source: Getty Images.
The advantages of the AI lending platform
Upstart delivered strong results in Q2, beating estimates with revenue up 42% year over year to $365 million and net income jumping 195% to $16.5 million.
The positive net income marked a return to profitability for Upstart after a $7 million net loss in the first quarter. But Upstart has been fairly consistently profitable over the past year, with positive net income in four of the past five quarters.
Also, Upstart originated $4.2 billion in loans in Q2, up 50% year over year. It converted 19.7% of loan inquiries, down from 21.7% in the same quarter a year ago. And 91% of the loans it processed were fully automated, done in seconds by AI.
This provides a huge advantage for Upstart that other banks can't match. The key statistic is the contribution margin. This a metric that examines how much profit Upstart makes on every $1 it lends, after subtracting all costs to process that loan.
In Q2, Upstart generated a record $193 million in contribution profit, up 38% year over year. The contribution margin was 55%, down from 58% in the same quarter a year ago. The fact that 91% of the loans are processed quickly with no human intervention drives up that contribution margin and will continue to do so.
That high contribution profit can then be used to invest back in the technology and other resources or pay down debt. Overall, it just improves the financials for the growing company.
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New bank charter to improve unit economics
The other trend Upstart is seeing is that its revenue gains are outpacing its operating expenses, resulting in a higher operating margin. In Q2, its operating profit increased 224% to $14.6 million and its operating margin jumped from 2% to 4%.
These trends are all pointing Upstart toward increased earnings. For the full year, Upstart anticipates $1.4 billion in revenue, up from $1 billion in 2025 and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) of $294 million, up from $230 million last year.
Last month, Upstart received approval for a national bank charter and expects to launch its bank in early 2027. This will allow Upstart to collect deposits, which will, in turn, lower its cost of lending. Currently, Upstart pays fees to third-party banks to originate loans, but once it launches its own bank, it will eliminate some of those fees, further improving its contribution margin and unit economics.
Upstart stock is still not cheap, with a forward P/E of 47. However, Wall Street is fairly bullish on its growth with a median price target of $39.50, suggesting 30% upside. Upstart may not be a strong buy right now, but it is moving in the right direction and could start to take off once it gets its bank charter.
Akcie Upstartu v červenci klesly o 23 % kvůli slabším makrodatům pro věřitele a obavám z agentické AI. Firma přesto ve 2. čtvrtletí zvýšila tržby o 42 % a čistý zisk téměř ztrojnásobila na 16,5 milionu USD.
Upstart (UPST +4.64%) stock dropped 23% in July, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence. There was macroeconomic data pointing to continued pressure for lenders, which is its core business, as well as continued concern about agentic artificial intelligence (AI) replacing software-as-a-service (SaaS) products.
Upstart is in for a long recovery Upstart stock plunged several years ago when it couldn't sustain incredibly high growth as interest rates rose, and it hasn't gotten back on its feet yet. The business has somewhat recovered, but it's not where it used to be. It's also facing a tough macroeconomic environment, hampering market confidence in its future.
Image source: Getty Images.
On top of that, the market has soured on many SaaS stocks in the age of agentic AI. The worry is that agents can perform many of the tasks that these companies take care of. Upstart is an AI-based credit evaluation platform, and it claims to approve more loans without adding risk to the lender. It uses machine learning and thousands of data points to continually improve, offering real value to its clients, and it says its underwriting model has been 2.74 times as good as traditional models over the past eight years. The fear is that agents can do this just as well.
So far, Upstart continues to make its way back up, and it has been demonstrating solid performance over the past few quarters. In the 2026 second quarter, revenue increased 42% year over year, and originations were up 50%. Net income nearly tripled to $16.5 million, but Upstart has been in and out of generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) profitability for several quarters.
The future still looks bright The company is still well-positioned to keep growing. Management is targeting a 40% revenue increase for the 2026 full year, and it also provided longer-term guidance of a 35% compound annual growth rate through 2028.
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It continues to expand, and new products present new opportunities. It has added auto loans and home loans to its original, core personal lending products, and its secured auto and home loan originations increased 218% year over year in the second quarter. Management says that it has reduced the cost of its home equity product by 15%, and that it can be approved in six days with a price advantage of two percentage points vs. competitors.
It has also signed several funding rounds for its loans so it's keeping a small amount on its books. That reduces its direct exposure to high interest rates.
Upstart stock rose after earnings, but the stock is still well off its high as the market weighs its performance against its risks.
Upstart zvýšil objem poskytnutých úvěrů o 50 % na rekordních 4,2 miliardy USD a připravuje spuštění banky Upstart Bank, N.A. Tržby vzrostly meziročně o 42 % na 365 milionů USD.
Digital lender Upstart saw loan originations jump 50% as it prepares to launch its bank.
The company reported earnings Tuesday (Aug. 5) showing revenues of $365 million, a 42% increase over the same quarter in 2025. Loan originations came to $4.2 billion, with Upstart originating a record 558,000.
During an earnings call, CEO Paul Gu characterized the results as evidence of the company’s technological advantage, reminding analysts of his contention on an earlier call that “core personal loans are our superpower.” He added that the company’s technology lead in that segment generates “unusually strong margins.”
Upstart said it is increasingly shifting away from a one-time transactional model toward a broader relationship with the American consumer. Approximately 1 in 13 American adults now has an account with Upstart, according to the company.
Management noted that while the company had once focused on a conversion rate for one-time loans, it is now prioritizing the lifecycle of the borrower. Gu added that the company is less focused on FICO scores as a lending metric.
“We’re really serving a pretty full spectrum of people that are just new to credit or trying to repair their credit, all the way to people who are really prime and can qualify for really great rates, have a home,” he said.
“We’re getting that full spectrum. One of the things you may see in our earnings materials is that we like to note that we’re going to be replacing the conversion rate metric and sunsetting that particular one just because it’s so sensitive to the mixes that it’s a little hard to interpret. That’s what I would say about it is we’re serving a pretty full spectrum.”
Meanwhile, management said Upstart has moved its underwriting to a new distributed inference platform that processes applications 65% faster. Gu said the company’s models are now 2.74 times as accurate as traditional credit scoring benchmarks.
The company is applying automation to more complex products as well. Upstart can now close a home equity line of credit (HELOC) loan in six days, whereas traditional banks often take weeks or months, said Gu.
The earnings follow Upstart’s announcement last month that it had received conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to establish a bank called Upstart Bank, N.A.
Andrea Blankmeyer, Upstart’s chief financial officer, said the lender expects to “pretty quickly move the bulk to all of our originations through to Upstart Bank from the current partners that we’re originating with today.”
She added that the company expects “the core elements of the operations of the bank to be up and running relatively shortly after the launch of the bank.”
Upstart ve 2. čtvrtletí překonal odhady: EPS činil 16 centů na akcii a tržby dosáhly 364,71 milionu USD. V prodlouženém obchodování akcie UPST vzrostly o 12,6 %.
UPST stock is moving. Watch the price action here. Upstart Q2 Details Upstart reported quarterly earnings of 16 cents per share. Quarterly revenue came in at $364.71 million, which beat the Street’s estimate of $351.52 million, according to Benzinga Pro data.
The company reported the following second-quarter highlights:
“We came into this quarter with a clear plan, and we executed against it — re-accelerating growth in core personal loans, moving our secured products rapidly toward profitability, and funding that growth without adding equity capital,” said CEO Paul Gu.
“The results speak for themselves: originations up 50% year-over-year and we returned to GAAP profitability, with an all-time-high Contribution Profit,” Gu added.
UPST Stock Price Activity: According to data from Benzinga Pro, Upstart stock was up 12.6% to $34.14 in Tuesday’s extended trading.
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Upstart Holdings, Inc. v poslední obchodní den vzrostla o 1,6 % na 27,03 USD, ale za poslední měsíc klesla o 25,57 %. Investoři vyhlížejí výsledky 4. srpna 2026.
Upstart Holdings, Inc. (UPST - Free Report) closed the most recent trading day at $27.03, moving +1.6% from the previous trading session. The stock fell short of the S&P 500, which registered a gain of 1.66% for the day. Elsewhere, the Dow gained 1.19%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq added 2.78%.
Shares of the company have depreciated by 25.57% over the course of the past month, underperforming the Finance sector's gain of 1.93%, and the S&P 500's loss of 1.49%.
Investors will be eagerly watching for the performance of Upstart Holdings, Inc. in its upcoming earnings disclosure. The company's earnings report is set to be unveiled on August 4, 2026. In that report, analysts expect Upstart Holdings, Inc. to post earnings of $0.58 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 61.11%. Meanwhile, our latest consensus estimate is calling for revenue of $354.89 million, up 37.93% from the prior-year quarter.
Regarding the entire year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates forecast earnings of $2.25 per share and revenue of $1.43 billion, indicating changes of +29.31% and +36.53%, respectively, compared to the previous year.
Investors should also take note of any recent adjustments to analyst estimates for Upstart Holdings, Inc. Such recent modifications usually signify the changing landscape of near-term business trends. Hence, positive alterations in estimates signify analyst optimism regarding the business and profitability.
Our research suggests that these changes in estimates have a direct relationship with upcoming stock price performance. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system.
The Zacks Rank system, stretching from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has a noteworthy track record of outperforming, validated by third-party audits, with stocks rated #1 producing an average annual return of +25% since the year 1988. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has remained unchanged. As of now, Upstart Holdings, Inc. holds a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).
Valuation is also important, so investors should note that Upstart Holdings, Inc. has a Forward P/E ratio of 11.81 right now. This signifies a premium in comparison to the average Forward P/E of 11.19 for its industry.
It's also important to note that UPST currently trades at a PEG ratio of 0.29. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. As the market closed yesterday, the Financial - Miscellaneous Services industry was having an average PEG ratio of 0.93.
The Financial - Miscellaneous Services industry is part of the Finance sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 178, which puts it in the bottom 28% of all 250+ industries.
The Zacks Industry Rank is ordered from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
Be sure to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and many more, on Zacks.com.
Upstart Holdings čeká za čtvrtletí zisk na akcii 0,58 USD a tržby 354,89 milionu USD, obojí meziročně výrazně výše. Analytici ale varují, že Earnings ESP je -13,79 %.
The market expects Upstart Holdings, Inc. (UPST - Free Report) to deliver a year-over-year increase in earnings on higher revenues when it reports results for the quarter ended June 2026. This widely-known consensus outlook is important in assessing the company's earnings picture, but a powerful factor that might influence its near-term stock price is how the actual results compare to these estimates.
The stock might move higher if these key numbers top expectations in the upcoming earnings report, which is expected to be released on August 4. On the other hand, if they miss, the stock may move lower.
While management's discussion of business conditions on the earnings call will mostly determine the sustainability of the immediate price change and future earnings expectations, it's worth having a handicapping insight into the odds of a positive EPS surprise.
Zacks Consensus EstimateThis company is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.58 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +61.1%.
Revenues are expected to be $354.89 million, up 37.9% from the year-ago quarter.
Estimate Revisions TrendThe consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days. This is essentially a reflection of how the covering analysts have collectively reassessed their initial estimates over this period.
Investors should keep in mind that an aggregate change may not always reflect the direction of estimate revisions by each of the covering analysts.
Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Earnings WhisperEstimate revisions ahead of a company's earnings release offer clues to the business conditions for the period whose results are coming out. Our proprietary surprise prediction model -- the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) -- has this insight at its core.
The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a more recent version of the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier.
Thus, a positive or negative Earnings ESP reading theoretically indicates the likely deviation of the actual earnings from the consensus estimate. However, the model's predictive power is significant for positive ESP readings only.
A positive Earnings ESP is a strong predictor of an earnings beat, particularly when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold). Our research shows that stocks with this combination produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time, and a solid Zacks Rank actually increases the predictive power of Earnings ESP.
Please note that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss. Our research shows that it is difficult to predict an earnings beat with any degree of confidence for stocks with negative Earnings ESP readings and/or Zacks Rank of 4 (Sell) or 5 (Strong Sell).
How Have the Numbers Shaped Up for Upstart?For Upstart, the Most Accurate Estimate is lower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate, suggesting that analysts have recently become bearish on the company's earnings prospects. This has resulted in an Earnings ESP of -13.79%.
On the other hand, the stock currently carries a Zacks Rank of #3.
So, this combination makes it difficult to conclusively predict that Upstart will beat the consensus EPS estimate.
Does Earnings Surprise History Hold Any Clue?Analysts often consider to what extent a company has been able to match consensus estimates in the past while calculating their estimates for its future earnings. So, it's worth taking a look at the surprise history for gauging its influence on the upcoming number.
For the last reported quarter, it was expected that Upstart would post earnings of $0.39 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.30, delivering a surprise of -23.08%.
Over the last four quarters, the company has beaten consensus EPS estimates two times.
Bottom LineAn earnings beat or miss may not be the sole basis for a stock moving higher or lower. Many stocks end up losing ground despite an earnings beat due to other factors that disappoint investors. Similarly, unforeseen catalysts help a number of stocks gain despite an earnings miss.
That said, betting on stocks that are expected to beat earnings expectations does increase the odds of success. This is why it's worth checking a company's Earnings ESP and Zacks Rank ahead of its quarterly release. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.
Upstart doesn't appear a compelling earnings-beat candidate. However, investors should pay attention to other factors too for betting on this stock or staying away from it ahead of its earnings release.
An Industry Player's Expected ResultsPiper Sandler Companies (PIPR - Free Report) , another stock in the Zacks Financial - Miscellaneous Services industry, is expected to report earnings per share of $0.85 for the quarter ended June 2026. This estimate points to a year-over-year change of +14.9%. Revenues for the quarter are expected to be $430.53 million, up 6.2% from the year-ago quarter.
Over the last 30 days, the consensus EPS estimate for PIPER SANDLR CP has remained unchanged. Nevertheless, the company now has an Earnings ESP of +4.14%, reflecting a higher Most Accurate Estimate.
When combined with a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell), this Earnings ESP makes it difficult to conclusively predict that PIPER SANDLR CP will beat the consensus EPS estimate. The company beat consensus EPS estimates in each of the trailing four quarters.
Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar.
Lending marketplace Upstart has received conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to establish a bank called Upstart Bank, N.A.
The conditional approval follows Upstart’s application submitted in March and marks a key milestone in the company’s efforts to operate a nationally chartered bank, the company said in a Thursday (July 23) press release.
Upstart’s applications to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) for deposit insurance and to the Federal Reserve to become a bank holding company are still pending, per the release.
Paul Gu, co-founder and CEO of Upstart, said in the release that the company will continue to work with the OCC, the FDIC and the Federal Reserve to complete the remaining steps.
“Upstart Bank will allow us to lower the cost of lending and bring our full product offering to all 50 states, advancing our mission to radically reduce the cost and complexity of credit for all Americans,” Gu said.
Annie Delgado, chief risk officer at Upstart and proposed CEO of Upstart Bank, said in the release that a charter process can be both timely and rigorous, without diminishing oversight.
“We’ve been challenged extensively throughout the process, and that’s exactly what should happen when an institution is seeking the privilege of becoming a national bank,” Delgado said.
When Upstart announced in March that it was seeking a banking charter and had submitted applications, Gu said the time was right to “launch the first bank built from the ground up on AI.”
“Applying for a bank charter is the natural evolution of our business as we’ve grown in size, scale and product offerings,” Gu said. “This will allow us to save borrowers even more time and money, and streamline our partnerships with banks, credit unions and institutional credit funds.”
In its Monday press release, Upstart reiterated that Upstart Bank will not have physical branches, will be able to originate loans to consumers nationwide, will accept FDIC insured deposits, and will complement, not replace, the Upstart platform’s funding partnerships.
PYMNTS reported in February 2025 that some FinTechs had opted to gain their own banking licenses and that with a push to overhaul the application process to offer a smoother path toward getting those licenses, more FinTech may opt for that strategy.
BURLINGAME, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Upstart Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: UPST), the leading artificial intelligence (AI) lending marketplace, will hold a conference call to discuss its second quarter 2026 financial results on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. PT / 4:30 p.m. ET. The company’s earnings press release and investor presentation will be available on its investor relations website at ir.upstart.com after the market closes that day.
Live webcast. The live webcast and a replay will be available on Upstart’s investor relations website.
Conference Call Dial-In. To access the live conference call in the United States and Canada: 800-330-6710, conference code 7744842. To access the live conference call outside of the United States and Canada: +1 312-471-1353, conference code 7744842.
About Upstart
Upstart (NASDAQ: UPST) is the leading AI lending marketplace, connecting millions of consumers to more than 100 banks and credit unions that leverage Upstart’s AI models and cloud applications to deliver superior credit products. With Upstart AI, lenders can approve more borrowers at lower rates while delivering the exceptional digital-first experience customers demand. More than 90% of loans are fully automated, with no human intervention by Upstart. Founded in 2012, Upstart’s platform includes personal loans, automotive loans, home equity lines of credit, and Upstart’s new Cash Line product, a revolving line of credit. Upstart is based in Burlingame, California.
Upstart v 1. čtvrtletí 2026 automatizoval 91 % úvěrů bez zásahu člověka a AI podpořila asi o 3,5 % více poskytnutých úvěrů při stejném riziku. Auto segment vzrostl meziročně o více než 300 % a Home asi o 250 %.
Key Takeaways Upstart is entering a phase where loan growth, funding access and automation shape its next stage.AI drove 91% fully automated loans and supported about 3.5% more originations at equivalent risk.Auto and Home originations surged, but lower near-term take rates keep UPST's execution bar high. Upstart Holdings (UPST - Free Report) is entering a new phase in which loan growth, funding access and automation matter as much as headline revenues. The company still depends heavily on personal lending, but its platform is widening.
For investors, the question is whether larger lending categories can improve economics without adding balance sheet risk. That makes the next stage more about execution than simple market expansion.
How AI Is Expanding Across UpstartArtificial intelligence remains central to Upstart’s underwriting model, but the company is using it more broadly across operations. In first-quarter 2026, 91% of loans were fully automated with no human intervention by Upstart.
The technology is also being applied to servicing, collections, borrower conversations, payment features and quality assurance. Model accuracy improved by 1.4 points versus the benchmark, while expanded use of artificial intelligence to predict post-default recoveries supported about 3.5% more originations at equivalent risk.
Why Upstart Is Leaning Into Secured LendingUpstart is expanding beyond unsecured personal loans through Auto, Home and home equity line of credit products. Auto originations rose more than 300% year over year in first-quarter 2026, while Home originations increased about 250%.
These products open larger addressable markets and add servicing opportunities. More than one-fourth of Home loans were fully automated, and home equity line of credit time to close averaged six days from application to signing.
Why Capital-Light Models Matter for UPSTThe capital-light marketplace remains a key part of the UPST setup. In 2025, institutional investors purchased around 64% of loan principal, lending partners purchased 26% and Upstart held roughly 10% on its balance sheet.
Funding depth is central to scalability. The company has well more than half of funding supported by committed capital, added a 24-month forward-flow agreement in first-quarter 2026 and completed oversubscribed securitizations.
How Upstart’s Charter Could Change the SetupUpstart’s national bank charter application should be viewed as a regulatory and operational trend line rather than an immediate earnings event. The potential benefits include broader 50-state coverage, lower origination friction and faster technology and regulatory iteration.
The charter would not change the main funding strategy. Upstart still expects banks, credit unions and institutional investors to purchase the vast majority of platform loans, keeping the model focused on marketplace fees and servicing rather than balance sheet lending.
What Trend Investors Should Watch CloselyThe key tension is mix. Newer products and super-prime personal loans are scaling, but they carry lower near-term take rates. Contribution margin fell to 50% in first-quarter 2026 from 55% a year earlier and 53% in the prior quarter.
That does not erase the growth story, but it raises the bar for execution. Secured-product take rates may take 12 to 24 months or longer to mature, so investors need evidence that larger markets can produce better unit economics.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for UPST’s sales suggests growth of 36.53% for 2026 and 30.61% for 2027.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
How UPST Scores Reflect This TransitionThe bottom line is that Upstart has meaningful exposure to trends shaping digital lending, but the investment case is still in transition. Affirm Holdings (AFRM - Free Report) brings a point-of-sale lending reference point to the same fintech credit debate.
SoFi Technologies (SOFI - Free Report) adds a broader consumer-finance platform comparison, especially for investors weighing scale, product breadth and funding structure. UPST currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), which points to a more balanced near-term earnings-revision picture rather than a clear breakout signal. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
The Style Scores are less supportive. UPST has a VGM Score of F, Value Score of D, Growth Score of F and Momentum Score of F. Since A and B scores are the most favorable, this weak style profile fits a stock with trend exposure but unsettled margin, valuation and momentum signals.
Upstart uzavřel obnovenou dohodu s Neuberger Specialty Finance, která má do platformou zprostředkovaných spotřebitelských úvěrů investovat až 600 milionů USD. Firma zároveň uvedla, že v 1. čtvrtletí vzrostly objemy o 61 % na 3,4 miliardy USD a tržby o 44 % na 308 milionů USD.
Key Takeaways Upstart shares rose after a renewed Neuberger deal to invest up to $600M in platform-originated loans.Committed loan demand can help Upstart fund growth without relying heavily on its own balance sheet.Upstart's Q1 originations rose 61% to $3.4B, while revenues increased 44% to $308M. Shares of Upstart Holdings (UPST - Free Report) were up more than 3% yesterday as the fintech company added another funding win at a key time for its lending marketplace. The company announced a renewed forward-flow agreement with Neuberger Specialty Finance, under which Neuberger-managed funds are expected to invest in up to $600 million of consumer loans originated through Upstart’s platform.
This is encouraging as more committed loan demand can help Upstart fund growth without leaning heavily on its own balance sheet. That matters because Upstart’s model works best when banks, credit unions and institutional investors buy the loans while the company earns platform and servicing fees. A deeper funding base can also support more competitive borrower rates and a smoother customer experience.
This deal fits with Upstart’s broader push to expand both lending partners and capital partners. Earlier, Community Choice Credit Union and USF Credit Union selected Upstart for personal lending, giving qualified applicants access to credit union-branded digital loan offers through Upstart’s platform. These additions show that Upstart is finding demand among traditional financial institutions that want faster, AI-powered lending tools.
The company also has momentum in its latest results. In first-quarter 2026, originations rose 61% year over year to about $3.4 billion, while revenues increased 44% to $308 million. Upstart also reiterated its 2026 outlook for about $1.4 billion in revenue and $294 million in adjusted EBITDA. Its platform now connects consumers with more than 100 banks and credit unions, and more than 90% of loans are fully automated.
For investors, the Neuberger renewal is a positive signal for funding confidence, and recent credit union wins support platform growth. Still, Upstart remains sensitive to consumer credit conditions, capital market appetite and margin pressure. UPST looks better positioned than it did during tougher funding periods, but a Neutral view still makes sense until growth translates into steadier profits.
Over the past three months, shares of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company have gained 25.1% compared with the industry's 8.6% growth.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Stocks to ConsiderSome better-ranked stocks from the Zacks-Financial Miscellaneous Services sector are Alerus Financial, Inc. (ALRS - Free Report) and Chime Financial (CHYM - Free Report) . While Alerus Financial sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Chime Financial carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Alerus Financial’s 2026 earnings per share (EPS) is pegged at $2.95, indicating a 6.12% increase from the prior-year period.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CHYM’s 2026 EPS has been revised from 16 cents to 30 cents over the past two months.