FCFS vs SLM vs AFRM Stock Comparison

FirstCash Holdings, Slm and Affirm Holdings Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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FCFS FirstCash Holdings, Inc.
$190.02 -12.4% 1M +27.3% 1Y
Market cap
$8.15B
P/E
20.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$4.29B
Div. yield
0.88%
Consumer Lending Financial Services
4 wins
SLM SLM Corp
$17.72 -22.6% 1M -37.3% 1Y
Market cap
$3.24B
P/E
5.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.79B
Div. yield
2.93%
Consumer Lending Financial Services
5 wins
AFRM Affirm Holdings, Inc.
$73.32 +9.1% 1M -3.4% 1Y
Market cap
$24.72B
P/E
12.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$4.26B
Div. yield
–
Consumer Lending Financial Services
3 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Slm leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Slm 5, FirstCash Holdings 4, Affirm Holdings 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionFCFSSLMAFRMLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $8.15B $3.24B $24.72B AFRM
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 20.1x 5.9x 12.7x SLM
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 16.6x 8.1x 39.2x SLM
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +22.9% -6.7% +32.2% AFRM
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 9.5% 30.9% 45.3% AFRM
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 8.7% 16.6% 5.6% SLM
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 3.3x 2.3x 2.3x SLM
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.88% 2.93% — SLM
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +27.3% -37.3% -3.4% FCFS
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +16.5%/yr -0.7%/yr -14.7%/yr FCFS
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 36.6% 42.5% 59.8% FCFS
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 58/100 48/100 53/100 FCFS

Percentile Scorecard

FCFSSLMAFRM

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisFCFSSLMAFRM
Valuation 44 #96 of 169 48 #89 of 169 31 #117 of 169
Growth 76 #40 of 162 27 #119 of 162 99 #3 of 162
Profitability 76 #36 of 149 55 #68 of 149 64 #54 of 149
Financial Health 65 #56 of 158 36 #101 of 158 59 #65 of 158
Shareholder Returns 28 #98 of 136 76 #33 of 136 12 #120 of 136
Overall 58 48 53
  • FCFS ranked among 174 companies in Lending and Credit
  • SLM ranked among 174 companies in Lending and Credit
  • AFRM ranked among 174 companies in Lending and Credit

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodFCFSSLMAFRMSPY
1 month -12.4%-22.6%+9.1% +0.9%
3 months -6.0%-31.0%+4.6% +5.9%
6 months -11.9%-22.9%+15.5% +8.5%
Year to date +19.2%-34.5%-1.5% +13.3%
1 year +27.3%-37.3%-3.4% +12.4%
3 years +77.4%+38.3%+333.1% +88.1%
3 years, per year +21.1%+11.4%+63.1% +23.5%
5 years +114.8%-3.4%-54.9% +68.2%
5 years, per year +16.5%-0.7%-14.7% +11.0%
10 years +303.4%+148.9%— +263.4%
10 years, per year +15.0%+9.5%— +13.8%

Risk

MeasureFCFSSLMAFRMSPY
Volatility, 1Y 36.6%42.5%59.8% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 40.8%51.9%58.6% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.701.042.61 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.75-0.88-0.06 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -32.2%-48.5%-94.7% -25.4%
From 52-week high -19.6%-42.6%-14.5% -0.9%
52-week high $236.43$30.85$85.78 $779.14
52-week low $148.05$17.72$42.53 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleFCFSSLMAFRM
P/E now vs peer median 20.1xmedian 11.4x 5.9xmedian 11.4x 12.7xmedian 11.4x
P/S now vs peer median 1.9xmedian 2.7x 1.8xmedian 2.7x 5.8xmedian 2.7x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 15.2xmedian 11.3x 4.0xmedian 11.3x 35.3xmedian 11.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 15.7xmedian 6.9x -8.5xmedian 6.9x 24.9xmedian 6.9x
P/B now vs peer median 3.6xmedian 0.7x 1.4xmedian 0.7x 4.5xmedian 0.7x
PEG now vs peer median 0.88median 0.34 0.21median 0.34 0.24median 0.34

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsFCFSSLMAFRM
Revenue $4.29B $1.79B $4.26B
Gross profit $2.15B – –
Operating income $553.59M – $416.98M
Net income $406.49M $567.40M $1.93B
Free cash flow $518.18M -$381.64M $992.63M
EPS (diluted) $9.38 $2.98 $5.53
Cash & equivalents $203.16M $2.17B $1.63B
Total debt $2.45B $6.43B $10.58B
Shares (diluted) 43.34M 185.57M 348.85M
Enterprise value $7.52B -$13.10B $18.41B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricFCFSSLMAFRM
P/E 20.1x 5.9x 12.7x
P/FCF 15.7x -8.5x 24.9x
P/Operating cash flow 12.0x -8.5x 20.1x
P/S 1.9x 1.8x 5.8x
P/B 3.6x 1.4x 4.5x
P/Tangible book 3.9x 1.4x 4.5x
EV/EBITDA 15.2x 4.0x 35.3x
EV/EBIT 18.8x 4.1x 63.4x
EV/Revenue 2.4x 4.2x 6.2x
EV/FCF 20.1x -19.6x 26.6x
EV/Operating cash flow 15.3x -19.6x 21.5x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.88 0.21 0.24

Growth

14 metrics
MetricFCFSSLMAFRM
Revenue growth (1Y) 22.9% -6.7% 32.2%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 12.0% 1.6% 39.0%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 23.3% – –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 14.4% – –
Operating income growth (1Y) 33.6% – 577.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 22.3% – 32.9%
Net income growth (1Y) 31.2% -9.0% 3,598%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 20.9% 19.1% 58.2%
EPS growth (1Y) 34.7% 3.4% 3,515%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 22.8% 28.7% 54.1%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 17.6% -15.8% 55.1%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 13.8% -47.7% 365.8%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 14.7% -15.8% 65.0%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 8.8% -47.7% 123.3%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricFCFSSLMAFRM
Gross margin 50.2% – –
EBITDA margin 16.0% 104.4% 17.6%
Operating margin 12.9% – 9.8%
Pretax margin 12.9% 41.2% 11.6%
Net margin 9.5% 30.9% 45.3%
FCF margin 12.1% -21.3% 23.3%
Operating cash flow margin 15.8% -21.3% 28.9%
Return on equity 17.7% 24.0% 41.6%
Return on assets 7.4% 1.9% 13.3%
Return on invested capital 8.7% 16.6% 5.6%
Return on capital employed 10.9% – –
Asset turnover 0.8x 0.1x 0.3x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.7x -0.7x 0.6x
Stock comp / revenue 0.5% 2.6% 7.2%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricFCFSSLMAFRM
Debt / assets 44.0% 21.6% 21.1%
Debt / equity 1.1x 2.9x 0.6x
Net debt / EBITDA 3.3x 2.3x 2.3x
Debt / FCF 4.7x -16.9x 3.4x
Liabilities / assets 59.1% 92.4% 65.3%
Equity / assets 40.9% 7.6% 34.7%
Interest coverage 3.9x 1.7x 0.9x
Current ratio 4.8x – –
Quick ratio 0.5x – –
Cash ratio 0.5x – –
Altman Z-score 3.42 – –

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricFCFSSLMAFRM
Dividend yield 0.9% 2.9% –
Net buyback yield 3.4% 16.8% -0.6%
Shareholder yield 4.3% 19.8% -0.6%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 17.7% –
Payout ratio (FCF) – -26.3% –
Dividend growth (1Y) – -7.9% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – -1.1% –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusFCFSSLMAFRM
Forward P/E 16.6xFY2026 8.1xFY2026 39.2xFY2027
EPS, next fiscal year $11.43FY2026 $2.20FY2026 $1.87FY2027
EPS growth, next FY +30.5%FY2026 -36.4%FY2026 -66.2%FY2027
EPS growth, the year after +8.7% +30.5% +44.4%
Revenue, next fiscal year $4.25BFY2026 $1.85BFY2026 $5.23BFY2027
Revenue growth, next FY +16.2%FY2026 -6.7%FY2026 +22.7%FY2027
Revenue growth, the year after +2.9% -0.3% +24.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersFCFSSLMAFRM
Held by institutions 97.2% 100.0% 77.1%
Institutions holding 500 387 658
Change in shares held, QoQ +2.9% +2.4% +8.1%
Institutions buying 253 193 401
Institutions selling 166 135 173
Buyers to sellers 1.52 1.43 2.32

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

FCFSSLMAFRM
FCFS 1.00 0.21 0.09
SLM 0.21 1.00 0.37
AFRM 0.09 0.37 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, FCFS, SLM and AFRM?

Affirm Holdings (AFRM) is the largest by market capitalisation: FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) $8.15B, Slm (SLM) $3.24B, Affirm Holdings (AFRM) $24.72B.

Which stock is cheaper, FCFS, SLM and AFRM?

Slm (SLM) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) 20.1x, Slm (SLM) 5.9x, Affirm Holdings (AFRM) 12.7x). On next year's consensus earnings, Slm (SLM) is cheapest (FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) 16.6x, Slm (SLM) 8.1x, Affirm Holdings (AFRM) 39.2x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Affirm Holdings (AFRM) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) +22.9%, Slm (SLM) -6.7%, Affirm Holdings (AFRM) +32.2%.

Which company is more profitable?

Affirm Holdings (AFRM) has the highest net margin (FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) 9.5%, Slm (SLM) 30.9%, Affirm Holdings (AFRM) 45.3%). On return on invested capital, Slm (SLM) leads (FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) 8.7%, Slm (SLM) 16.6%, Affirm Holdings (AFRM) 5.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) returned the most: FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) +27.3%, Slm (SLM) -37.3%, Affirm Holdings (AFRM) -3.4%. Over five years, FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) compounded fastest (FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) +16.5%/yr, Slm (SLM) -0.7%/yr, Affirm Holdings (AFRM) -14.7%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Slm (SLM) has the highest dividend yield: FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) 0.88%, Slm (SLM) 2.93%. Affirm Holdings (AFRM) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) has been the steadiest (FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) 36.6%, Slm (SLM) 42.5%, Affirm Holdings (AFRM) 59.8%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, FCFS, SLM and AFRM?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Slm (SLM) leads on 5. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.