FCFS vs SYF vs SLM Stock Comparison

FirstCash Holdings, Synchrony Financial and Slm Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
FCFS FirstCash Holdings, Inc.
$185.35 -14.8% 1M +23.0% 1Y
Market cap
$8.17B
P/E
20.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$4.29B
Div. yield
–
Consumer Lending Financial Services
3 wins
SYF Synchrony Financial
$74.99 +2.8% 1M +0.0% 1Y
Market cap
$23.95B
P/E
7.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$19.31B
Div. yield
0.02%
Consumer Lending Financial Services
6 wins
SLM SLM Corp
$18.77 -20.7% 1M -34.0% 1Y
Market cap
$3.37B
P/E
6.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.79B
Div. yield
0.03%
Consumer Lending Financial Services
3 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Synchrony Financial leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Synchrony Financial 6, Slm 3, FirstCash Holdings 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionFCFSSYFSLMLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $8.17B $23.95B $3.37B SYF
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 20.1x 7.4x 6.1x SLM
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 16.2x 7.6x 8.5x SYF
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +22.9% +2.6% -6.7% FCFS
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 9.5% 16.8% 30.9% SLM
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 8.7% 25.7% 16.6% SYF
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 3.3x -0.9x 2.3x SYF
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.02% 0.03% SLM
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +23.0% +0.0% -34.0% FCFS
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +15.3%/yr +9.9%/yr +0.7%/yr FCFS
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 36.5% 31.6% 42.1% SYF
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 59/100 80/100 49/100 SYF

Percentile Scorecard

FCFSSYFSLM

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

AxisFCFSSYFSLM
Valuation 46 #91 of 169 95 #10 of 169 49 #87 of 169
Growth 74 #42 of 160 50 #80 of 160 30 #113 of 160
Profitability 77 #35 of 149 90 #16 of 149 54 #69 of 149
Financial Health 66 #55 of 158 78 #36 of 158 37 #100 of 158
Shareholder Returns 30 #96 of 136 86 #20 of 136 73 #37 of 136
Overall 59 80 49
  • FCFS ranked among 174 companies in Lending and Credit
  • SYF ranked among 174 companies in Lending and Credit
  • SLM 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

PeriodFCFSSYFSLMSPY
1 month -14.8%+2.8%-20.7% -0.2%
3 months -10.3%-2.8%-25.5% +3.9%
6 months -13.4%-1.7%-19.9% +8.2%
Year to date +16.3%-10.1%-30.6% +12.9%
1 year +23.0%+0.0%-34.0% +12.3%
3 years +73.1%+167.0%+46.5% +87.4%
3 years, per year +20.1%+38.8%+13.6% +23.3%
5 years +104.0%+60.0%+3.5% +67.9%
5 years, per year +15.3%+9.9%+0.7% +10.9%
10 years +273.3%+159.1%+162.9% +261.1%
10 years, per year +14.1%+10.0%+10.1% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureFCFSSYFSLMSPY
Volatility, 1Y 36.5%31.6%42.1% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 40.6%36.1%51.2% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.701.181.05 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.630.00-0.81 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -33.9%-46.7%-45.8% -25.4%
From 52-week high -21.6%-15.2%-39.2% -1.2%
52-week high $236.43$88.47$30.85 $779.14
52-week low $148.05$63.78$18.74 $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.

MultipleFCFSSYFSLM
P/E now vs peer median 19.6xmedian 11.1x 7.4xmedian 11.1x 6.3xmedian 11.1x
P/S now vs peer median 1.9xmedian 2.6x 1.2xmedian 2.6x 1.9xmedian 2.6x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 14.9xmedian 13.5x 1.8xmedian 13.5x 4.1xmedian 13.5x
P/FCF now vs peer median 15.3xmedian 7.0x 2.4xmedian 7.0x -9.0xmedian 7.0x
P/B now vs peer median 3.5xmedian 0.7x 1.4xmedian 0.7x 1.5xmedian 0.7x
PEG now vs peer median 0.86median 0.32 0.34median 0.32 0.22median 0.32

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 monthsFCFSSYFSLM
Revenue $4.29B $19.31B $1.79B
Gross profit $2.15B – –
Operating income $553.59M – –
Net income $406.49M $3.33B $567.40M
Free cash flow $518.18M $9.56B -$381.64M
EPS (diluted) $9.38 $10.06 $2.98
Cash & equivalents $203.16M $15.90B $2.17B
Total debt $2.45B $8.11B $6.43B
Shares (diluted) 43.34M 322.40M 185.57M
Enterprise value $7.54B -$43.68B -$12.97B

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
MetricFCFSSYFSLM
P/E 19.6x 7.4x 6.3x
P/FCF 15.3x 2.4x -9.0x
P/Operating cash flow 11.7x 2.4x -9.0x
P/S 1.9x 1.2x 1.9x
P/B 3.5x 1.4x 1.5x
P/Tangible book 3.8x 1.4x 1.5x
EV/EBITDA 14.9x 1.8x 4.1x
EV/EBIT 18.4x 1.9x 4.2x
EV/Revenue 2.4x 0.8x 4.3x
EV/FCF 19.7x 1.6x -20.1x
EV/Operating cash flow 15.0x 1.6x -20.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.86 0.34 0.22

Growth

14 metrics
MetricFCFSSYFSLM
Revenue growth (1Y) 22.9% 2.6% -6.7%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 12.0% 4.6% 1.6%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 23.3% – –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 14.4% – –
Operating income growth (1Y) 33.6% – –
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 22.3% – –
Net income growth (1Y) 31.2% -6.8% -9.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 20.9% 12.0% 19.1%
EPS growth (1Y) 34.7% 6.5% 3.4%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 22.8% 21.7% 28.7%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 17.6% -2.0% -15.8%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 13.8% 5.6% -47.7%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 14.7% -2.0% -15.8%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 8.8% 5.6% -47.7%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricFCFSSYFSLM
Gross margin 50.2% – –
EBITDA margin 16.0% 45.8% 104.4%
Operating margin 12.9% – –
Pretax margin 12.9% 22.6% 41.2%
Net margin 9.5% 16.8% 30.9%
FCF margin 12.1% 49.5% -21.3%
Operating cash flow margin 15.8% 49.5% -21.3%
Return on equity 17.7% 19.9% 24.0%
Return on assets 7.4% 2.7% 1.9%
Return on invested capital 8.7% 25.7% 16.6%
Return on capital employed 10.9% – –
Asset turnover 0.8x 0.2x 0.1x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.7x 2.9x -0.7x
Stock comp / revenue 0.5% – 2.6%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricFCFSSYFSLM
Debt / assets 44.0% 6.6% 21.6%
Debt / equity 1.1x 0.5x 2.9x
Net debt / EBITDA 3.3x -0.9x 2.3x
Debt / FCF 4.7x 0.8x -16.9x
Liabilities / assets 59.1% 86.5% 92.4%
Equity / assets 40.9% 13.5% 7.6%
Interest coverage 3.9x 2.1x 1.7x
Current ratio 4.8x – –
Quick ratio 0.5x – –
Cash ratio 0.5x – –
Altman Z-score 3.39 – –

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricFCFSSYFSLM
Dividend yield 0.9% 1.7% 2.8%
Net buyback yield 3.5% 16.5% 15.9%
Shareholder yield 4.4% 18.1% 18.7%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 12.6% 17.7%
Payout ratio (FCF) – 4.4% -26.3%
Dividend growth (1Y) – 0.5% -7.9%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 1.1% -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.

ConsensusFCFSSYFSLM
Forward P/E 16.2xFY2026 7.6xFY2026 8.5xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $11.43FY2026 $9.82FY2026 $2.20FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +30.5%FY2026 +5.8%FY2026 -36.4%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +8.7% +10.3% +30.5%
Revenue, next fiscal year $4.25BFY2026 $15.69BFY2026 $1.85BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +16.2%FY2026 +4.7%FY2026 -6.7%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +2.9% +7.5% -0.3%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersFCFSSYFSLM
Held by institutions 97.2% 100.0% 100.0%
Institutions holding 500 1,002 387
Change in shares held, QoQ +2.9% -0.8% +2.4%
Institutions buying 253 526 193
Institutions selling 166 345 135
Buyers to sellers 1.52 1.52 1.43

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.

FCFSSYFSLM
FCFS 1.00 0.22 0.22
SYF 0.22 1.00 0.53
SLM 0.22 0.53 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, FCFS, SYF and SLM?

Synchrony Financial (SYF) is the largest by market capitalisation: FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) $8.17B, Synchrony Financial (SYF) $23.95B, Slm (SLM) $3.37B.

Which stock is cheaper, FCFS, SYF and SLM?

Slm (SLM) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) 20.1x, Synchrony Financial (SYF) 7.4x, Slm (SLM) 6.1x). On next year's consensus earnings, Synchrony Financial (SYF) is cheapest (FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) 16.2x, Synchrony Financial (SYF) 7.6x, Slm (SLM) 8.5x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) +22.9%, Synchrony Financial (SYF) +2.6%, Slm (SLM) -6.7%.

Which company is more profitable?

Slm (SLM) has the highest net margin (FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) 9.5%, Synchrony Financial (SYF) 16.8%, Slm (SLM) 30.9%). On return on invested capital, Synchrony Financial (SYF) leads (FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) 8.7%, Synchrony Financial (SYF) 25.7%, Slm (SLM) 16.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) returned the most: FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) +23.0%, Synchrony Financial (SYF) +0.0%, Slm (SLM) -34.0%. Over five years, FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) compounded fastest (FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) +15.3%/yr, Synchrony Financial (SYF) +9.9%/yr, Slm (SLM) +0.7%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Slm (SLM) has the highest dividend yield: FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) 0.00%, Synchrony Financial (SYF) 0.02%, Slm (SLM) 0.03%. FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Synchrony Financial (SYF) has been the steadiest (FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) 36.5%, Synchrony Financial (SYF) 31.6%, Slm (SLM) 42.1%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Synchrony Financial (SYF) leads on 6. 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.