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Upstart Holdings, founded in 2012 and headquartered in San Mateo, California, is a fintech company that operates an online lending platform. It focuses on offering personal loans by using a data-driven approach in order to assess borrowers’ creditworthiness.
More specifically, its platform utilizes machine learning algorithms and data sources like education and employment history to evaluate loan applications. Such an approach aims to provide more accurate and inclusive credit assessments, particularly for individuals with limited credit histories or non-traditional backgrounds.
In December 2020, Upstart completed its initial public offering and became a publicly traded company listing its shares on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol “UPST.” Since then, retail investors have had the opportunity to get a piece of the pie in Upstart and get exposure to its business operations and the growing market. But how do you buy the company’s shares? And where is the stock price heading?
In this article, we will begin by first offering you a historical overview of how the stock price has behaved since the IPO to gain more insight into what potential drivers the price is sensitive to. Then, we’ll conclude by offering you a guide on how to buy the stock.
Let’s get started…
Contents
Upstart Stock Key Features
- Upstart Holdings’ stock price is very volatile; consider that in the last month, it increased by 129%. That can also be illustrated by its 42.82% decline in the last 12 months. Investors should take note of its high volatility because it may offer extraordinary returns, but it also creates extraordinary risk.
- The company’s lending model boasts a notable advantage in terms of accuracy and speed compared to traditional lending models, such as FICO scores. Customers are frequently surprised when they realize that the approval process can be completed within 5/10 minutes.
- The financial performance for its first quarter showed significant declines across key metrics, including a 67% year-over-year drop in revenue and an 83% decrease in loan origination, indicating a challenging quarter for the company.
- In conjunction with its latest earnings announcement, Upstart revealed that it successfully secured over $2 billion in funding for the upcoming 12 months.
- Upstart also made an important announcement regarding the launch of a new product, a home equity line of credit (HELOC), allowing borrowers to utilize their real estate as collateral when borrowing.
upstart holdings stock price
Upstart Stock Over the Years – Review
In this section, we are going to look at the key events that were followed by the significant movement of Upstart’s stock price in order to gain more insight into what could potentially affect the future stock price movement.
Upstart Stock in 2023
During 2023, the stock experienced a lot of ups and downs. The Year-To-Date price change is an increase of 129.4%. But let’s go into detail and examine the sharpest price swings by starting at the most recent ones and going backwards in time:
- Jun. 01: The stock concluded the day’s session with a notable increase of 9.2% as traders heightened their expectations for the Federal Open Market Committee’s June 13-14 meeting, anticipating no interest-rate hike.
- May 20: Upstart experienced a substantial gain, surging by 41%, following its agreement to sell up to $4 billion of consumer installment loans. This deal not only reduces risk for the company by transferring loans off its balance sheet but also provides the company with the ability to issue new loans.
- May 15: Upstart’s shares experienced a surge of 30%, which followed the company’s better-than-expected Q1 earnings, robust Q2 guidance, and successful securing of over $2 billion in funding agreements, showcasing positive market sentiment towards the AI-powered lending platform.
Upstart Stock in 2022
UPST decreased by a total of 91.26% in 2022, which perfectly highlights how volatile the stock is. Let us see what kind of one-day price swings it experienced in that year and what preceded them:
- Jul. 08: After the market closed, UPST witnessed a significant decline of approximately 18% in after-hours trading. This drop followed the company’s announcement on Thursday, stating that it anticipates a Q2 net loss ranging from $31 million to $27 million.
- May 20: The stock experienced a steep decline of 17%, which followed remarks that came from a Wedbush analyst, who highlighted that the AI-driven lending platform had adopted a new underwriting model that incorporates higher delinquency and default rates compared to its previous model.
- May 09: UPST declined by 42%, following the company’s guidance for Q2 and full-year 2022, which fell short of consensus estimates.
Upstart Stock in 2021
The stock price increased by a total of 271.3% in 2021, signifying even more the volatile nature of UPST. Let’s see what key events preceded the sharpest price swings:
- Nov. 09: Following the release of its guidance for Q4 adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net income, UPST experienced a significant decline of 22%. The guidance indicates anticipated decreases compared to the previous quarter, which has negatively impacted investor sentiment.
- Aug. 11: Shares surged by 23% in premarket trading following the company’s release of better-than-expected Q2 earnings and optimistic full-year guidance. The strong performance of the AI lending platform has elicited positive market response and investor enthusiasm.
- May 11: The stock climbed by 16% in after-hours trading after the company boosted its 2021 revenue and contribution margin guidance.
- Mar. 18: After delivering a solid beat in its first post-IPO quarter and providing strong Q1 guidance, the stock price increased by 39%.
When considering investing in UPST, it is important to explore various exchange platforms or online brokers. However, it is crucial to carefully assess factors such as fees, taxes, and the range of investment tools provided by such platforms. As an example, let’s see how you can buy the stock with eToro.
Step 1: Open an Account
To get started, simply visit the homepage of eToro and click on the Sign-up button. Within seconds, the registration page will appear, requesting you to enter your name, email, and a password. Alternatively, you can also create a profile using your Facebook or Google account.
Step 2: Upload ID
Now, it is time to verify your identity. You will be required to upload proof of identity (POI) and proof of address (POA). Acceptable forms of POI include ID cards, passports, or driver’s licenses, while the POA document should contain the user’s full name, address, and a recent date, issued no more than three months prior.
Step 3: Make a Deposit
Once your account verification process is finalized, the next step is to fund your account before you can start trading. To do so, navigate to eToro’s menu and locate the Deposit Funds button. From there, you will have to choose the amount you want to transfer, select your preferred currency, and specify the payment method.
Step 4: Search for UPST
To search for UPST, type the ticker symbol in the search tab. Before you hit enter, it’s possible that a link with the name of the stock will appear, which you should click to visit the related page.
Step 5: Invest in UPST
Upon accessing the UPST page, the investment process becomes straightforward. By clicking the Invest button, you can select the desired funding amount or the number of UPST shares you wish to purchase. Upon completing the transaction, your newly acquired assets will be visible in your portfolio.
Summary
As you can see buying Upstart shares is a straightforward process. Just make sure you carefully follow the steps above.
But be mindful of the fact that this stock is very volatile and while this makes outperformance more likely, it also creates a lot of downside risk. Consider this as you decide on your allocation. Or even better, ask a financial advisor for their professional opinion.
In any case, this article wasn’t meant to recommend buying the stock but to help you understand how its price has behaved in the past, what factors might have influenced it, and how you can buy the stock.
FAQ
Is Upstart’s stock a buy or sell?
All of the 14 Wall Street analysts who cover the stock are bearish. In any case, only you can answer if it’s a buy or sell by first examining factors such as your investment goals and risk tolerance. You should also conduct an analysis of the company’s financial health, market conditions, and future prospects.
What does Upstart’s stock chart show?
It shows that the stock is very volatile. The stock price climbed by 271.3% in 2021, only to plunge by 91.26% in 2022 and recover by triple-digit growth in the last month.
What is Upstart’s price target for 2023?
Based on the 12-month price forecasts provided by 14 analysts for Upstart, the median target is $12.50, suggesting a potential decrease of -57.67% from the last recorded price.
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