Comprehensive Stock Comparison
Compare Finance Of America Companies Inc. (FOA) vs Upstart Holdings, Inc. (UPST) Stock
Analyze side-by-side fundamentals, valuation, growth, and profitability to decide which stock is the better buy.
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Quick Verdict
| Category | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Growth | UPST | 54.2% revenue growth vs FOA's 24.2% |
| Value | FOA | Lower P/E (4.5x vs 12.8x) |
| Quality / Margins | UPST | 5.1% net margin vs FOA's 0.8% |
| Stability / Safety | FOA | Beta 0.98 vs UPST's 2.55 |
| Dividends | Tie | Neither pays a meaningful dividend |
| Momentum (1Y) | FOA | -14.5% vs UPST's -59.2% |
| Efficiency (ROA) | UPST | 1.1% ROA vs FOA's 0.0%, ROIC 2.2% vs 0.1% |
Who Each Stock Is For
Income & stability
Growth exposure
Long-term compounding (10Y)
Sleep-well-at-night portfolio
Defensive / Recession hedge
Business Model
What each company does and how it makes money
Finance of America Companies operates a diversified consumer lending platform focused on mortgage and specialty loan origination. It generates revenue primarily through loan origination fees and servicing income across its mortgage, reverse mortgage, and commercial lending segments. The company's competitive advantage lies in its integrated platform that combines multiple lending verticals with supporting services like title insurance and loan securitization.
Upstart operates an AI-powered lending platform that connects borrowers with bank partners using machine learning to assess credit risk. It generates revenue primarily from referral fees paid by banks for approved loans — roughly 80% of revenue — and smaller amounts from servicing fees and interest income. Its key advantage is its proprietary AI underwriting model, which analyzes thousands of data points beyond traditional credit scores to identify creditworthy borrowers that conventional models might miss.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
How each company's revenue is distributed across its business units
Financial Metrics Comparison
Side-by-side fundamentals across 2 stocks. BestLagging
Financial Scorecard
UPST leads in 3 of 6 categories (Financial Metrics, Profitability & Efficiency). FOA leads in 2 (Valuation Metrics, Risk & Volatility).
Financial Metrics (TTM)
FOA is the larger business by revenue, generating $1.9B annually — 1.9x UPST's $1.0B. Profitability is closely matched — net margins range from 5.1% (UPST) to 0.8% (FOA).
| Metric | FOAFinance Of Americ… | UPSTUpstart Holdings,… |
|---|---|---|
| RevenueTrailing 12 months | $1.9B | $1.0B |
| EBITDAEarnings before interest/tax | $47M | $46M |
| Net IncomeAfter-tax profit | $6M | $32M |
| Free Cash FlowCash after capex | -$445M | -$374M |
| Gross MarginGross profit ÷ Revenue | +13.9% | — |
| Operating MarginEBIT ÷ Revenue | +2.2% | +4.1% |
| Net MarginNet income ÷ Revenue | +0.8% | +5.1% |
| FCF MarginFCF ÷ Revenue | -21.7% | -14.2% |
| Rev. Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | — | — |
| EPS Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | -114.0% | +4.1% |
Valuation Metrics
At 16.4x trailing earnings, FOA trades at a 73% valuation discount to UPST's 60.5x P/E. On an enterprise value basis, UPST's 47.3x EV/EBITDA is more attractive than FOA's 350.7x.
| Metric | FOAFinance Of Americ… | UPSTUpstart Holdings,… |
|---|---|---|
| Market CapShares × price | $232 | $2.7B |
| Enterprise ValueMkt cap + debt − cash | $28.7B | $2.0B |
| Trailing P/EPrice ÷ TTM EPS | 16.40x | 60.51x |
| Forward P/EPrice ÷ next-FY EPS est. | 4.50x | 12.81x |
| PEG RatioP/E ÷ EPS growth rate | — | 4.21x |
| EV / EBITDAEnterprise value multiple | 350.68x | 47.31x |
| Price / SalesMarket cap ÷ Revenue | 0.00x | 2.56x |
| Price / BookPrice ÷ Book value/share | 1.43x | 3.66x |
| Price / FCFMarket cap ÷ FCF | — | — |
Profitability & Efficiency
UPST delivers a 4.3% return on equity — every $100 of shareholder capital generates $4 in annual profit, vs $2 for FOA. On the Piotroski fundamental quality scale (0–9), FOA scores 4/9 vs UPST's 3/9, reflecting mixed financial health.
| Metric | FOAFinance Of Americ… | UPSTUpstart Holdings,… |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM)Return on equity | +1.7% | +4.3% |
| ROA (TTM)Return on assets | +0.0% | +1.1% |
| ROICReturn on invested capital | +0.1% | +2.2% |
| ROCEReturn on capital employed | +0.2% | +1.6% |
| Piotroski ScoreFundamental quality 0–9 | 4 | 3 |
| Debt / EquityFinancial leverage | 90.98x | — |
| Net DebtTotal debt minus cash | $28.7B | -$652M |
| Cash & Equiv.Liquid assets | $47M | $652M |
| Total DebtShort + long-term debt | $28.7B | $0 |
| Interest CoverageEBIT ÷ Interest expense | 0.01x | 0.85x |
Total Returns (with DRIP)
A $10,000 investment in UPST five years ago would be worth $4,086 today (with dividends reinvested), compared to $1,903 for FOA. Over the past 12 months, FOA leads with a -14.5% total return vs UPST's -59.2%. The 3-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) favors UPST at 13.7% vs FOA's 9.8% — a key indicator of consistent wealth creation.
| Metric | FOAFinance Of Americ… | UPSTUpstart Holdings,… |
|---|---|---|
| YTD ReturnYear-to-date | -13.8% | -40.6% |
| 1-Year ReturnPast 12 months | -14.5% | -59.2% |
| 3-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +32.5% | +47.1% |
| 5-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -81.0% | -59.1% |
| 10-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -80.0% | -7.6% |
| CAGR (3Y)Annualised 3-year return | +9.8% | +13.7% |
Risk & Volatility
FOA is the less volatile stock with a 0.98 beta — it tends to amplify market swings less than UPST's 2.55 beta. A beta below 1.0 means the stock typically moves less than the S&P 500. FOA currently trades 65.4% from its 52-week high vs UPST's 31.2% drawdown — a narrower gap to the peak suggests stronger recent price momentum.
| Metric | FOAFinance Of Americ… | UPSTUpstart Holdings,… |
|---|---|---|
| Beta (5Y)Sensitivity to S&P 500 | 0.98x | 2.55x |
| 52-Week HighHighest price in past year | $29.58 | $87.30 |
| 52-Week LowLowest price in past year | $16.58 | $26.80 |
| % of 52W HighCurrent price vs 52-week peak | +65.4% | +31.2% |
| RSI (14)Momentum oscillator 0–100 | 34.0 | 33.9 |
| Avg Volume (50D)Average daily shares traded | 83K | 4.2M |
Analyst Outlook
Wall Street rates FOA as "Hold" and UPST as "Hold". Consensus price targets imply 65.9% upside for UPST (target: $45) vs 52.5% for FOA (target: $30).
| Metric | FOAFinance Of Americ… | UPSTUpstart Holdings,… |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst RatingConsensus buy/hold/sell | Hold | Hold |
| Price TargetConsensus 12-month target | $29.50 | $45.17 |
| # AnalystsCovering analysts | 5 | 22 |
| Dividend YieldAnnual dividend ÷ price | — | — |
| Dividend StreakConsecutive years of raises | 0 | — |
| Dividend / ShareAnnual DPS | — | — |
| Buyback YieldShare repurchases ÷ mkt cap | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Historical Charts
Charts are rendered on first load. Hover for details.
Chart 1Total Return — 5 Years (Rebased to 100)
| Stock | Jan 21 | Feb 26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance Of America … (FOA) | 100 | 22.63 | -77.4% |
| Upstart Holdings, I… (UPST) | 149.27 | 134.68 | -9.8% |
Upstart Holdings, I… (UPST) returned -59% over 5 years vs Finance Of America … (FOA)'s -81%.
Chart 2Revenue Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2018 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance Of America … (FOA) | $789M | $1.9B | +147.0% |
| Upstart Holdings, I… (UPST) | $96M | $1.0B | +992.1% |
Upstart Holdings, Inc.'s revenue grew from $96M (2018) to $1.0B (2025) — a 40.7% CAGR.
Chart 3Net Margin Trend — 10 Years
| Stock | 2018 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance Of America … (FOA) | 4.1% | 0.8% | -80.4% |
| Upstart Holdings, I… (UPST) | -12.9% | 5.1% | +139.8% |
Upstart Holdings, Inc.'s net margin went from -13% (2018) to 5% (2025).
Chart 4P/E Ratio History — 5 Years
| Stock | 2019 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance Of America … (FOA) | 4.2 | 23.8 | +466.7% |
| Upstart Holdings, I… (UPST) | 177.2 | 97.2 | -45.1% |
Finance Of America Companies Inc. has traded in a 1x–24x P/E range over 3 years; current trailing P/E is ~16x. Upstart Holdings, Inc. has traded in a 97x–177x P/E range over 3 years; current trailing P/E is ~61x.
Chart 5EPS Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2018 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance Of America … (FOA) | 8.92 | 1.18 | -86.8% |
| Upstart Holdings, I… (UPST) | -0.87 | 0.45 | +151.7% |
Upstart Holdings, Inc.'s EPS grew from $-0.87 (2018) to $0.45 (2025).
Chart 6Free Cash Flow — 5 Years
Finance Of America Companies Inc. generated $-424M FCF in 2024 (-269% vs 2021). Upstart Holdings, Inc. generated $-148M FCF in 2025 (-196% vs 2021).
FOA vs UPST: Frequently Asked Questions
9 questions · data-driven answers · updated daily
01Is FOA or UPST a better buy right now?
Finance Of America Companies Inc. (FOA) offers the better valuation at 16.4x trailing P/E (4.5x forward), making it the more compelling value choice. Analysts rate Finance Of America Companies Inc. (FOA) a "Hold" — based on 5 analyst ratings — the highest consensus in this comparison. The "better buy" depends entirely on your goals: growth investors should weight revenue trajectory, value investors should weight P/E and PEG, and income investors should weight dividend yield and streak.
02Which has the better valuation — FOA or UPST?
On trailing P/E, Finance Of America Companies Inc. (FOA) is the cheapest at 16.4x versus Upstart Holdings, Inc. at 60.5x. On forward P/E, Finance Of America Companies Inc. is actually cheaper at 4.5x.
03Which is the better long-term investment — FOA or UPST?
Over the past 5 years, Upstart Holdings, Inc. (UPST) delivered a total return of -59.1%, compared to -81.0% for Finance Of America Companies Inc. (FOA). A $10,000 investment in UPST five years ago would be worth approximately $4K today (assuming dividends reinvested). Over 10 years, the gap is even starker: UPST returned -7.6% versus FOA's -80.0%. Past returns do not guarantee future results, and the stock with the higher historical return may already have its best growth priced in.
04Which is safer — FOA or UPST?
By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), Finance Of America Companies Inc. (FOA) is the lower-risk stock at 0.98β versus Upstart Holdings, Inc.'s 2.55β — meaning UPST is approximately 160% more volatile than FOA relative to the S&P 500.
05Which has better profit margins — FOA or UPST?
Upstart Holdings, Inc. (UPST) is the more profitable company, earning 5.1% net margin versus 0.8% for Finance Of America Companies Inc. — meaning it keeps 5.1% of every revenue dollar as bottom-line profit. Operating margin tells a similar story: UPST leads at 4.1% versus 2.2% for FOA. At the gross margin level — before operating expenses — FOA leads at 13.9%, reflecting greater pricing power or product mix advantage. Stronger margins indicate durable pricing power, lower cost of revenue, or higher mix of software/services. They are one of the clearest signs of business quality.
06Is FOA or UPST more undervalued right now?
On forward earnings alone, Finance Of America Companies Inc. (FOA) trades at 4.5x forward P/E versus 12.8x for Upstart Holdings, Inc. — 8.3x cheaper on a one-year earnings basis. Analyst consensus price targets imply the most upside for UPST: 65.9% to $45.17.
07Which pays a better dividend — FOA or UPST?
None of the stocks in this comparison currently pay a material dividend. All are effectively zero-yield and should be held for capital appreciation rather than income.
08Is FOA or UPST better for a retirement portfolio?
For long-horizon retirement investors, Finance Of America Companies Inc. (FOA) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding (low volatility (β 0.98)). Upstart Holdings, Inc. (UPST) carries a higher beta of 2.55 — meaning larger drawdowns in market downturns, which matters significantly when you cannot wait years for a recovery. Both have compounded well over 10 years (FOA: -80.0%, UPST: -7.6%), confirming both are viable long-term holds — but the lower-volatility option typically results in less emotional selling during corrections. Retirement portfolios generally favour predictability over maximum returns. Consult a financial advisor before making allocation decisions.
09What are the main differences between FOA and UPST?
Both stocks operate in the Financial Services sector, making this a peer-level intra-sector comparison — the same macro tailwinds and headwinds will affect both. In terms of investment character: FOA is a small-cap deep-value stock; UPST is a small-cap quality compounder stock. These fundamental differences mean investors should not choose between them on a single metric — the "better stock" depends entirely on which of these characteristics aligns with your investment strategy.
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