Affirm Gains 42% Year to Date: Should You Buy Now or Hold the Stock?

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Affirm Holdings, Inc.’s AFRM shares have gained 42.3% in the year-to-date period compared with the industry’s 22.3% growth. It has also outperformed the broader Zacks Business Services sector’s 21.8% rise and the S&P 500’s 27.3% increase in the said time frame. The company has been benefiting on the back of an expanding buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) market, advanced risk assessment technology and merchant partnership growth. It has a market cap of $22 billion.

Closing at $69.93 in the last trading session, the stock is trading above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, indicating solid upward momentum.

Year-to-Date Price Performance

Zacks Investment Research
Zacks Investment Research


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AFRM’s Key Tailwinds

Affirm's proprietary technology harnesses advanced tools like machine learning and artificial intelligence to deliver a powerful platform that enhances payment experiences for both consumers and merchants. Its seamless integration capabilities allow it to support a diverse range of merchant operations, from small e-commerce businesses to large corporations, showcasing its flexibility and broad commercial appeal.

The company's innovative approach to risk management and credit underwriting distinguishes it from traditional financial institutions. By employing a proprietary risk model that leverages extensive data analytics, Affirm can design financial products tailored to various consumer needs while maintaining low fraud levels and high approval rates.

Affirm’s business model benefits from robust network effects, which strengthen with each new merchant added to its platform. These network effects drive increased adoption of its financing solutions, resulting in higher merchant fees. Affirm earns revenues from merchant partners who utilize its platform to process transactions. As of Sept. 30, 2024, the company had approximately 323,000 active merchants and a growing base of repeat customers, driving $7.6 billion in gross merchandise volume during the first quarter of fiscal 2025.

Strategic alliances with industry giants such as Amazon and Apple Pay act as significant growth catalysts for Affirm. These strategic alliances provide access to expansive consumer markets and enable diversification of revenue streams across various sectors. Partnerships with JD Sports and Priceline, which were announced in November 2024, were means to provide enhanced pay-over-time solutions to the sports retailer clients and Priceline’s B2B partner brands.

The expanding BNPL market presents a prime opportunity for Affirm to capitalize on its diverse product suite. With consumers increasingly prefering installment payment options, the company is well-positioned to meet this demand. Affirm's solid financial stand, supported by substantial cash reserves and strong cash flow generation, enables it to continue investing in growth initiatives. Management expects to achieve operating income profitability on a GAAP basis by the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025.