Upstart has been an excellent performer and has nearly tripled over the past three years.
The company is best known for its personal loan business, but it originates three types of loans.
If it can continue to grow its new loan verticals, Upstart could certainly triple (or more) by 2030.
Upstart (NASDAQ: UPST) has been an excellent performer in recent years, with the stock up by 168% over the past three years. And there are some good reasons it has done so well.
Most significantly, Upstart's business has grown tremendously, even in a so-so environment for lending. In the second quarter, Upstart's loan origination volume soared by 154% year over year and revenue more than doubled. And not only was the top line strong, but Upstart also reported $6 million in GAAP net income, marking a return to profitability for the first time since before the 2022 bear market.
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Upstart is mostly known for its personal loan business. Personal loans made up 94% of Upstart's loan volume in the second quarter and until recently was essentially the sole revenue driver.
However, Upstart has two other lending verticals -- auto loans and home loans. It launched auto loan capabilities a few years ago and has only been in the home lending industry for a little over a year. And it's these new verticals that could take the business to the next level.
Auto loan originations have grown by about 500% over the past year on Upstart's platform. Home loans grew roughly ninefold over the past year and increased 67% sequentially in the second quarter. Combined, both make up about 6% of Upstart's loan volume today. But these are both massive markets and could grow into the dominant part of Upstart's business eventually.
The auto loan industry in the United States is roughly $700 billion in annual volume. Home loan volume is a much larger industry, with about $2 trillion in mortgage volume in a typical year. If rates fall, mortgage originations could get interesting, as homeowners are sitting on $35 trillion in home equity -- and Upstart is focused on home equity lines of credit, or HELOCs.
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Matt Frankel has positions in Upstart and has the following options: short December 2025 $95 calls on Upstart. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Upstart. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.