Comprehensive Stock Comparison
Compare Pintec Technology Holdings Limited (PT) 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 PT's -33.3% |
| Quality / Margins | UPST | 5.1% net margin vs PT's -44.0% |
| Stability / Safety | PT | Beta 0.53 vs UPST's 2.55 |
| Dividends | Tie | Neither pays a meaningful dividend |
| Momentum (1Y) | PT | -5.7% vs UPST's -59.2% |
| Efficiency (ROA) | UPST | 1.1% ROA vs PT's -12.4% |
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
Pintec Technology operates a digital platform connecting Chinese financial institutions with borrowers and investors. It generates revenue primarily through technology service fees from loan facilitation (roughly 70% of revenue) and wealth management product distribution fees (around 30%). The company's key advantage is its proprietary AI-driven risk assessment technology and extensive partner network within China's financial ecosystem.
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 2 of 6 categories (Financial Metrics, Profitability & Efficiency). PT leads in 2 (Total Returns, Risk & Volatility). 1 tied.
Financial Metrics (TTM)
UPST is the larger business by revenue, generating $1.0B annually — 29.7x PT's $35M. UPST is the more profitable business, keeping 5.1% of every revenue dollar as net income compared to PT's -44.0%.
| Metric | PTPintec Technology… | UPSTUpstart Holdings,… |
|---|---|---|
| RevenueTrailing 12 months | $35M | $1.0B |
| EBITDAEarnings before interest/tax | -$6M | $46M |
| Net IncomeAfter-tax profit | -$12M | $32M |
| Free Cash FlowCash after capex | $0 | -$374M |
| Gross MarginGross profit ÷ Revenue | +63.5% | — |
| Operating MarginEBIT ÷ Revenue | -40.1% | +4.1% |
| Net MarginNet income ÷ Revenue | -44.0% | +5.1% |
| FCF MarginFCF ÷ Revenue | -42.6% | -14.2% |
| Rev. Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | — | — |
| EPS Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | +37.0% | +4.1% |
Valuation Metrics
| Metric | PTPintec Technology… | UPSTUpstart Holdings,… |
|---|---|---|
| Market CapShares × price | $48M | $2.7B |
| Enterprise ValueMkt cap + debt − cash | $45M | $2.0B |
| Trailing P/EPrice ÷ TTM EPS | -0.19x | 60.51x |
| Forward P/EPrice ÷ next-FY EPS est. | — | 12.81x |
| PEG RatioP/E ÷ EPS growth rate | — | 4.21x |
| EV / EBITDAEnterprise value multiple | — | 47.31x |
| Price / SalesMarket cap ÷ Revenue | 9.47x | 2.56x |
| Price / BookPrice ÷ Book value/share | — | 3.66x |
| Price / FCFMarket cap ÷ FCF | — | — |
Profitability & Efficiency
On the Piotroski fundamental quality scale (0–9), PT scores 4/9 vs UPST's 3/9, reflecting mixed financial health.
| Metric | PTPintec Technology… | UPSTUpstart Holdings,… |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM)Return on equity | — | +4.3% |
| ROA (TTM)Return on assets | -12.4% | +1.1% |
| ROICReturn on invested capital | — | +2.2% |
| ROCEReturn on capital employed | — | +1.6% |
| Piotroski ScoreFundamental quality 0–9 | 4 | 3 |
| Debt / EquityFinancial leverage | — | — |
| Net DebtTotal debt minus cash | -$22M | -$652M |
| Cash & Equiv.Liquid assets | $27M | $652M |
| Total DebtShort + long-term debt | $5M | $0 |
| Interest CoverageEBIT ÷ Interest expense | -613.85x | 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 $1,269 for PT. Over the past 12 months, PT leads with a -5.7% total return vs UPST's -59.2%. The 3-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) favors PT at 22.3% vs UPST's 13.7% — a key indicator of consistent wealth creation.
| Metric | PTPintec Technology… | UPSTUpstart Holdings,… |
|---|---|---|
| YTD ReturnYear-to-date | +1.3% | -40.6% |
| 1-Year ReturnPast 12 months | -5.7% | -59.2% |
| 3-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +83.1% | +47.1% |
| 5-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -87.3% | -59.1% |
| 10-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -98.5% | -7.6% |
| CAGR (3Y)Annualised 3-year return | +22.3% | +13.7% |
Risk & Volatility
PT is the less volatile stock with a 0.53 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. PT currently trades 69.0% from its 52-week high vs UPST's 31.2% drawdown — a narrower gap to the peak suggests stronger recent price momentum.
| Metric | PTPintec Technology… | UPSTUpstart Holdings,… |
|---|---|---|
| Beta (5Y)Sensitivity to S&P 500 | 0.53x | 2.55x |
| 52-Week HighHighest price in past year | $1.38 | $87.30 |
| 52-Week LowLowest price in past year | $0.82 | $26.80 |
| % of 52W HighCurrent price vs 52-week peak | +69.0% | +31.2% |
| RSI (14)Momentum oscillator 0–100 | 51.2 | 33.9 |
| Avg Volume (50D)Average daily shares traded | 62K | 4.2M |
Analyst Outlook
| Metric | PTPintec Technology… | UPSTUpstart Holdings,… |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst RatingConsensus buy/hold/sell | — | Hold |
| Price TargetConsensus 12-month target | — | $45.17 |
| # AnalystsCovering analysts | — | 22 |
| Dividend YieldAnnual dividend ÷ price | — | — |
| Dividend StreakConsecutive years of raises | — | — |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pintec Technology H… (PT) | 100 | 18.08 | -81.9% |
| Upstart Holdings, I… (UPST) | 149.27 | 134.68 | -9.8% |
Upstart Holdings, I… (UPST) returned -59% over 5 years vs Pintec Technology H… (PT)'s -87%.
Chart 2Revenue Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pintec Technology H… (PT) | $55M | $35M | -36.0% |
| Upstart Holdings, I… (UPST) | $96M | $1.0B | +992.1% |
Chart 3Net Margin Trend — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pintec Technology H… (PT) | -3.7% | -44.0% | -1103.6% |
| Upstart Holdings, I… (UPST) | -12.9% | 5.1% | +139.8% |
Chart 4P/E Ratio History — 3 Years
| Stock | 2020 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upstart Holdings, I… (UPST) | 177.2 | 97.2 | -45.1% |
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 | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pintec Technology H… (PT) | -4,286.45 | -34.3 | +99.2% |
| Upstart Holdings, I… (UPST) | -0.87 | 0.45 | +151.7% |
Chart 6Free Cash Flow — 5 Years
Pintec Technology Holdings Limited generated $-15M FCF in 2024 (+54% vs 2021). Upstart Holdings, Inc. generated $-148M FCF in 2025 (-196% vs 2021).
PT vs UPST: Frequently Asked Questions
7 questions · data-driven answers · updated daily
01Is PT or UPST a better buy right now?
Upstart Holdings, Inc. (UPST) offers the better valuation at 60.5x trailing P/E (12.8x forward), making it the more compelling value choice. Analysts rate Upstart Holdings, Inc. (UPST) a "Hold" — based on 22 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 is the better long-term investment — PT or UPST?
Over the past 5 years, Upstart Holdings, Inc. (UPST) delivered a total return of -59.1%, compared to -87.3% for Pintec Technology Holdings Limited (PT). 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 PT's -98.5%. Past returns do not guarantee future results, and the stock with the higher historical return may already have its best growth priced in.
03Which is safer — PT or UPST?
By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), Pintec Technology Holdings Limited (PT) is the lower-risk stock at 0.53β versus Upstart Holdings, Inc.'s 2.55β — meaning UPST is approximately 380% more volatile than PT relative to the S&P 500.
04Which has better profit margins — PT or UPST?
Upstart Holdings, Inc. (UPST) is the more profitable company, earning 5.1% net margin versus -44.0% for Pintec Technology Holdings Limited — 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 -40.1% for PT. At the gross margin level — before operating expenses — PT leads at 63.5%, 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.
05Which pays a better dividend — PT 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.
06Is PT or UPST better for a retirement portfolio?
For long-horizon retirement investors, Pintec Technology Holdings Limited (PT) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding (low volatility (β 0.53)). 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 (PT: -98.5%, 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.
07What are the main differences between PT 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. 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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