Key Points SoFi’s fintech platform continues to attract millions of new users. It’s expanding its fee-based ecosystem to reduce its dependence on interest income. Its stock looks reasonably valued, but Wall Street’s expectations might be too high. 10 stocks we like better than SoFi Technologies › SoFi's (NASDAQ: SOFI) stock has nearly doubled in value over the past 12 months. The fintech company impressed the market again, gaining more users, growing its revenue at double-digit rates, and expandin ...

These programs are offered by lenders and can be found through online research or at dealerships.Some first-time car-buyer programs won’t approve you if you have poor credit. If you have missed payments or other credit issues, consider looking into bad credit auto loans instead.References : Some programs may request personal references for the dealership to reach out to. For example, Audi requests two personal references, one from a relative, with a phone number and address.Employment: Many programs request ...

Personal finance expert, author and host of The Ramsey Show, Dave Ramsey often provides guidance on topics like budgeting, paying off debt and building wealth. One area in which he frequently berates callers on his show? Wasting money. Here are five of the scariest ways to waste money, according to Ramsey. Not Having a Written Budget It’s often said that, when it comes to wealth building, it’s not about how much you earn; it’s about how much you keep. And failing to plan means planning to fail. Oversp ...

Financial giants have made a conspicuous bullish move on LendingClub. Our analysis of options history for LendingClub (NYSE:LC) revealed 14 unusual trades.Delving into the details, we found 57% of traders were bullish, while 21% showed bearish tendencies. Out of all the trades we spotted, 9 were puts, with a value of $600,700, and 5 were calls, valued at $276,500.What's The Price Target?Taking into account the Volume and Open Interest on these contracts, it appears that whales have been targeting a price ra ...

Core Insights - SoFi and Affirm are both high-growth fintech companies aiming to disrupt traditional financial institutions, with SoFi offering a wide range of financial services and Affirm focusing on "buy now, pay later" solutions [1][2] SoFi Overview - SoFi has expanded its services from student loans to include mortgages, auto loans, personal loans, credit cards, insurance, estate planning, stock trading, and banking, positioning itself as a comprehensive digital financial platform [1][4] - The company targets younger, digitally native users and has grown significantly, quadrupling its member base from 2.5 million in 2021 to 10.1 million in 2024, with projections to reach 12.6 million by Q3 2025 [7][8] - SoFi's revenue and adjusted EBITDA are expected to grow at a CAGR of 27% and 44% respectively from 2024 to 2027, driven by its loan platform business, increased deposits, and new features [9] Affirm Overview - Affirm's BNPL platform caters to younger and lower-income consumers, offering microloans without compound interest or hidden fees, and has seen significant growth, with active consumers increasing from 7.1 million in fiscal 2021 to 23 million in fiscal 2025 [10][11] - The company has secured partnerships with major merchants like Amazon and Walmart, contributing to its gross merchandise volume (GMV) growth from $8.3 billion to $36.7 billion during the same period [11] - Analysts expect Affirm's revenue to grow at a CAGR of 25% from fiscal 2025 to 2028, with adjusted EBITDA projected to increase at a CAGR of 131% through 2028, supported by the growing usage of its Affirm Card and international expansion [14] Valuation Comparison - SoFi has an enterprise value of $32.5 billion, trading at 31 times this year's adjusted EBITDA, while Affirm has an enterprise value of $27.2 billion, trading at 24 times this year's adjusted EBITDA [15] - Despite both companies being strong growth stocks, Affirm is considered more attractive due to its narrower focus, superior growth rates, and lower valuations [15]

Core Viewpoint - Capital One Financial Corporation (COF) is experiencing strong institutional interest and positive market sentiment, with a price target set at $270 by Wolfe Research, indicating a potential upside of 17.05% from its current price of $230.68 [1][5] Institutional Investments - Callodine Capital Management LP has increased its investment in Capital One by 77.1% in Q2, bringing total holdings to 265,708 shares valued at $56.5 million, representing 5.9% of their portfolio [2] - Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC has dramatically increased its holdings in Capital One by over 588,668%, now owning 117.4 million shares, indicating strong institutional interest [3] Stock Performance - COF is currently priced at $230.68, with daily fluctuations between $228.56 and $233, and has a yearly high of $233.01 and a low of $143.22 [4] - The market capitalization of COF is approximately $146.65 billion, highlighting its significance in the financial market [4] - The trading volume for COF on the NYSE is 3,919,112 shares, reflecting active investor interest [5]

Core Viewpoint - LendingClub is positioned as both the best-performing and lowest-valued fintech in the market, with strong third-quarter earnings and plans for rebranding in the upcoming year [1] Financial Performance - LendingClub reported a 37% growth in originations last quarter, which, while not the fastest in the industry, is characterized by superior quality, generating more revenue and profit per loan compared to peers [3][4] - The company aims for a 20% to 30% annual growth in originations moving forward, indicating minimal deceleration in growth [4] Medium-Term Financial Targets - LendingClub anticipates reaching $18 billion to $22 billion in annual originations, up from a current annualized run rate of $10 billion, and expects bank assets to rise to approximately $20 billion from $11 billion [5] - The company projects an increase in return on equity from 13% to between 18% and 20% over the medium term [6] Growth Strategies - Management expects an incremental $5 billion to $8 billion in personal loan originations, primarily from credit card debt consolidation, which constitutes about 82% of its current borrower base [7][8] - LendingClub plans to enter the $500 billion home improvement market, partnering with Wisetack and acquiring technology from the bankrupt startup Mosaic to facilitate this expansion [10][11] Additional Growth Areas - The company also has a small auto loan business and a secured business lending segment, expecting these combined originations to grow by another $1 billion over the medium term, contributing to a total originations growth target of $8 billion to $12 billion [12] Efficiency and Cost Control - LendingClub aims to increase returns on assets through higher retained loans, expanding net interest margins, and improved loan sale prices as interest rates stabilize [13][14] - The company has built strong cost control measures, expecting operating costs to grow more slowly than revenue, which will further enhance return on equity [15] Valuation and Market Position - If LendingClub achieves its medium-term targets, it could reach $450 million in earnings, with a market cap of $1.85 billion, suggesting the stock is trading at just over four times projected 2028 earnings [17][18] - The company has initiated its first share repurchase program of $100 million to leverage its undervalued stock [18]

Core Insights - Upstart Holdings emphasizes the use of real-time data and AI for credit underwriting, leveraging over 98 million repayment events to enhance model accuracy [1] - The company has observed early signs of rising risk in Q3, leading to tighter approval processes and a decrease in conversion rates from 23.9% to 20.6% [2] - Upstart is refining its calibration tools to reduce conversion volatility by approximately 50%, aiming for a more stable approval pipeline [3] Company Developments - Upstart is diversifying its offerings beyond unsecured personal loans, with growth in auto, home, and small-dollar products supported by advancements in property valuations and AI for document verification [4] - Despite management's confidence in new calibrations, investor concerns about approval volatility persist, compounded by sensitivity to macroeconomic trends like interest rates [5] Peer Comparisons - LendingClub Corporation reported a 37% year-over-year increase in loan originations to $2.6 billion and a 32% rise in revenues to $266.2 million, showcasing strong profitability with a 12.4% return on equity [6] - SoFi Technologies, Inc. achieved record net revenues of $961.6 million in Q3, a 38% increase year-over-year, with adjusted EBITDA rising 49% to $276.9 million and a 35% growth in its member base [7] Market Performance - Upstart's shares have declined by 22% over the past six months, underperforming the broader industry and the S&P 500 [8] - The company's current valuation indicates it is overvalued, with a Price/Sales ratio of 2.95X, aligning with the industry average [10] Earnings Estimates - The full-year 2025 Zacks Consensus Estimate for EPS has been revised upward, while the 2026 estimate has seen downward revisions, though both suggest significant year-over-year increases [11]

Core Insights - Capital One (COF) is facing a challenging credit environment with rising net charge-offs (NCOs) and delinquencies indicating increased pressure on consumer portfolios [1][9] - The company's provisions for credit losses surged 82% year-over-year to $16.5 billion, influenced by the acquisition of Discover Financial [3][9] Credit Metrics - Domestic credit card NCOs increased to 4.77%, up 42 basis points from September, while delinquencies rose 10 basis points to 4.99%, both exceeding pre-pandemic levels [2] - Auto credit trends showed NCOs rising 21 basis points to 1.67%, while delinquencies decreased by 2 basis points to 4.97% [2] Loan Growth and Provisions - Capital One's loans held for investment in domestic credit cards reached $254.2 billion, and the auto book increased to $82.5 billion, providing a slight offset to the rising credit metrics [3] - The increase in provisions reflects the company's growing exposure to consumer stress, particularly in lower-income and subprime segments [4][9] Economic Context - The K-shaped economic recovery is leading to divergent credit performance, with affluent borrowers remaining resilient while lower-income segments face greater financial strain [4] - Inflationary pressures and uneven macroeconomic improvement are expected to continue affecting credit metrics in the near term [4] Competitive Landscape - Capital One's peers, American Express and Synchrony Financial, also reported rising NCO rates, indicating a broader trend in the credit card industry [6][7] - American Express's NCO rate rose to 2.2%, while Synchrony Financial's adjusted NCO rate increased to 5.3% [6][7] Valuation and Earnings Estimates - Capital One shares have increased by 12.1% this year, underperforming the industry's growth of 33.6% [8] - The company trades at a 12-month forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 10.15X, above the industry average [10] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate indicates earnings growth of 38% for 2025 and 2.7% for 2026, with recent upward revisions for 2025 earnings to $19.26 [11]

Core Insights - Upstart Holdings (UPST) is diversifying its business beyond personal loans, with new verticals like auto, home, and small-dollar loans becoming significant contributors to its platform [1][8] - In Q3, these new products accounted for nearly 12% of total originations and 22% of new borrowers, indicating substantial growth [1][8] Business Performance - Auto lending is the fastest-growing segment, with Upstart doubling its active lending rooftops and expanding into four additional states, achieving over 70% sequential growth in auto-retail transaction volume [2] - Year-over-year, transaction volumes for auto, home, and small-dollar loans each increased by approximately 300% [2][8] - Home lending is also advancing, with automation improvements raising automatic HELOC approvals from below 1% in June to about 20% in October [3] Funding and Investor Confidence - Upstart added seven new bank and credit union partners in Q3, achieving record monthly funding capacity and maintaining 100% retention across private-credit partners [4] - The September securitization was oversubscribed across all tranches, reflecting strong investor confidence as the company expands into various credit categories [4] Competitive Landscape - Other fintechs like PayPal and Intuit are also diversifying their offerings, with PayPal expanding into merchant services and consumer credit products, while Intuit is building a broader financial ecosystem [5][6] Valuation and Estimates - Upstart shares have declined 24% over the past six months, underperforming the broader industry and the S&P 500 [7] - The current forward 12-month Price/Sales (P/S) ratio for Upstart is 3.00X, slightly below the industry average of 3.06X, indicating that shares may be overvalued [9] - The full-year 2025 Zacks Consensus Estimate for EPS has been revised upward, while the estimate for 2026 has seen downward revisions, though both suggest significant year-over-year increases [10]