Shares of Upstart Holdings UPST 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.
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Stocks to Consider
Some better-ranked stocks from the Zacks-Financial Miscellaneous Services sector are Alerus Financial, Inc. ALRS and Chime Financial CHYM. 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.
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).