Affirm Holdings Stock Pops on Beat-and-Raise

Core Insights - Affirm Holdings Inc's stock surged by 11.2% to $73.31 following better-than-expected fiscal Q1 earnings of 23 cents per share on revenue of $933.3 million, with full-year gross merchandise value (GMV) expectations of $47.50 billion exceeding estimates [1] Group 1: Stock Performance and Analyst Reactions - Morgan Stanley lowered its price target for Affirm to $83 from $90, while BofA Global Securities raised its target to $98 from $94, with a 12-month consensus price target of $94.26 representing a 29% premium to current levels [2] - Year-to-date, Affirm's equity has increased by 20.4%, although it has faced pressure below the $80 level after reaching a three-year high of $100 on August 29 [2] Group 2: Options Trading Activity - Options traders have shown significant activity with 26,000 calls and 14,000 puts exchanged, which is quadruple the typical volume, indicating strong interest in the stock [3] - The most popular options include the weekly 11/7 75-strike call and the 80-strike call, with new positions opening at the latter [3] Group 3: Short Interest Dynamics - Short interest in Affirm has decreased by 12.5% over the last two weeks, but it still represents 5% of the stock's available float, suggesting potential for a short squeeze to help the stock reclaim its previous trendline [4]