Affirm Nears Profitability and Wall Street Is Cheering
Affirm stock is rallying Thursday after the BNPL firm reported strong results and said it expects to turn a profit by the end of this fiscal year.
Affirm Holdings (AFRM) stock is up by more than 30% at last check in Thursday's session after the leading buy now, pay later (BNPL) company beat top- and bottom-line expectations for its fiscal fourth quarter and issued a strong outlook for the quarter ahead.
In the three months ended June 30, Affirm's revenue increased 48% year-over-year to $659.2 million, driven by gross merchandise volume (GMV) growth of 31% to $7.2 billion. The company said its net loss per share narrowed to 14 cents from 69 cents in the year-ago period.
"We delivered excellent results in both the fourth fiscal quarter as well as full 2024 fiscal year," said Affirm CEO Max Levchin in a statement. "We grew GMV at a rate exceeding 30% and revenue at a rate exceeding 45% – in both the quarter and the fiscal year."
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
Affirm's results topped analysts' expectations. Wall Street was anticipating revenue of $604 million and a net loss of 51 cents per share, according to CNBC.
For the first quarter of fiscal 2025, Affirm said it anticipates revenue in the range of $640 million to $670 million, well ahead of analysts’ expectations of $625 million.
“By the end of this calendar year, we expect that Affirm will be natively integrated into four of the top digital wallets in North America," Levchin said. "Yet, with GMV barely over 2% of U.S. and Canadian e-commerce, we've only just scratched the surface of our opportunity.”
Levchin also announced a new goal of achieving profitability on a GAAP basis by the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025 and maintaining GAAP profitability from that point forward.
Is Affirm stock a buy, sell or hold?
Heading into today's session, Affirm was down nearly 36% for the year to date. Unsurprisingly, Wall Street has been on the sidelines when it comes to the tech stock.
According to S&P Global Market Intelligence, the average analyst target price for AFRM stock is $36.97, representing a discount of more than 10% to current levels. Meanwhile, the consensus recommendation is Hold.
Financial services firm Wedbush is one of the more bearish outfits on AFRM stock with an Underperform rating (equivalent to a Sell) and a $20 price target.
"Affirm reported a solid quarter and provided a better than expected guide for fiscal 2025, which included anticipated GAAP profitability by the end of fiscal 2025,” said Wedbush analyst David Chiaverini said in a note this morning. "While results this quarter were solid and the outlook better than expected, we maintain our Underperform rating as we believe consumer lenders such as Affirm should be valued more in line with other consumer finance balance sheet lenders."
Related Content
Get Kiplinger Today newsletter — free
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more. Delivered daily. Enter your email in the box and click Sign Me Up.
Joey Solitro is a freelance financial journalist at Kiplinger with more than a decade of experience. A longtime equity analyst, Joey has covered a range of industries for media outlets including The Motley Fool, Seeking Alpha, Market Realist, and TipRanks. Joey holds a bachelor's degree in business administration.
-
Stock Market Today: Dow Leads as UnitedHealth Stock Pops
UnitedHealth was the best Dow Jones stock Monday on reports that Medicare Advantage payments could rise in 2026.
By Karee Venema Published
-
Earnings Season: Live Updates and Commentary
Fourth-quarter earnings season is getting underway, and Wall Street is keeping a close eye on both results and guidance.
By Kiplinger Staff Last updated
-
Stock Market Today: Dow Leads as UnitedHealth Stock Pops
UnitedHealth was the best Dow Jones stock Monday on reports that Medicare Advantage payments could rise in 2026.
By Karee Venema Published
-
How to Organize Your Financial Life (and Paperwork)
To simplify the future for yourself and your heirs, put a financial contingency plan in place. The peace of mind you'll get is well worth the effort.
By Leslie Gillin Bohner Published
-
Financial Confidence? It's Just Good Planning, Boomers Say
Baby Boomers may have hit the jackpot money-wise, but many attribute their wealth to financial planning and professional advice rather than good timing.
By Joe Vietri, Charles Schwab Published
-
Will You Be Able to Afford Your Dream Retirement?
You might need to save more than you think you do. Here are some expenses that might be larger than you expect, along with ways to ensure you save enough.
By Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFA®, CES™ Published
-
Three Steps to Simplify Paying Your Taxes in Retirement
Once you retire, how you pay some of your taxes can change. Here's how to get a handle on them so you don't run afoul of the IRS and face penalties.
By Evan T. Beach, CFP®, AWMA® Published
-
More SECURE 2.0 Retirement Enhancements Kick in This Year
Saving for retirement gets a boost with these SECURE 2.0 Act provisions that are starting in 2025.
By Mike Dullaghan, AIF® Published
-
Saving for Your Emergency Fund: As Easy as 1-3-6
An emergency fund that can cover six months' worth of expenses is far easier to build if you focus on smaller goals at first.
By Anthony Martin Published
-
Stock Market Today: Dow Slides 697 Points on Super-Hot Jobs Data
When the December nonfarm payrolls report hit the tape, there was no question which way stocks would go at Friday's opening bell.
By David Dittman Published