STNE vs AFRM vs SLM Stock Comparison

StoneCo, Affirm Holdings and Slm Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
STNE StoneCo Ltd.
$8.15 -12.4% 1M -58.0% 1Y
Market cap
$2.56B
P/E
3.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.73B
Div. yield
31.04%
Consumer Lending Financial Services
4 wins
AFRM Affirm Holdings, Inc.
$72.68 +1.6% 1M -4.9% 1Y
Market cap
$24.51B
P/E
12.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$4.26B
Div. yield
–
Consumer Lending Financial Services
4 wins
SLM SLM Corp
$18.77 -20.7% 1M -34.0% 1Y
Market cap
$3.43B
P/E
6.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.79B
Div. yield
2.77%
Consumer Lending Financial Services
4 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

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

QuestionSTNEAFRMSLMLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $2.56B $24.51B $3.43B AFRM
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 3.0x 12.6x 6.3x STNE
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 4.4x 38.9x 8.5x STNE
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +18.3% +32.2% -6.7% AFRM
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 26.2% 45.3% 30.9% AFRM
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital — 5.6% 16.6% SLM
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA — 2.3x 2.3x SLM
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 31.04% — 2.77% STNE
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -58.0% -4.9% -34.0% AFRM
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -25.1%/yr -14.8%/yr +0.7%/yr SLM
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 65.3% 59.8% 42.1% SLM
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 80/100 54/100 49/100 STNE

Percentile Scorecard

STNEAFRMSLM

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

AxisSTNEAFRMSLM
Valuation 97 #6 of 169 31 #117 of 169 49 #87 of 169
Growth 87 #22 of 160 99 #3 of 160 30 #113 of 160
Profitability 85 #24 of 149 64 #54 of 149 54 #69 of 149
Financial Health 33 #106 of 158 61 #62 of 158 37 #100 of 158
Shareholder Returns 99 #3 of 136 13 #118 of 136 73 #37 of 136
Overall 80 54 49
  • STNE ranked among 174 companies in Lending and Credit
  • AFRM 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

PeriodSTNEAFRMSLMSPY
1 month -12.4%+1.6%-20.7% -0.2%
3 months -27.0%+0.4%-25.5% +3.9%
6 months -30.1%+15.1%-19.9% +8.2%
Year to date -44.9%-2.4%-30.6% +12.9%
1 year -58.0%-4.9%-34.0% +12.3%
3 years -15.1%+329.3%+46.5% +87.4%
3 years, per year -5.3%+62.6%+13.6% +23.3%
5 years -76.5%-55.1%+3.5% +67.9%
5 years, per year -25.1%-14.8%+0.7% +10.9%
10 years ——+162.9% +261.1%
10 years, per year ——+10.1% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureSTNEAFRMSLMSPY
Volatility, 1Y 65.3%59.8%42.1% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 74.4%58.3%51.2% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.442.611.05 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.89-0.08-0.81 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -79.1%-94.7%-45.8% -25.4%
From 52-week high -58.0%-15.3%-39.2% -1.2%
52-week high $19.39$85.78$30.85 $779.14
52-week low $8.15$42.53$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.

MultipleSTNEAFRMSLM
P/E now vs peer median 3.0xmedian 11.1x 12.6xmedian 11.1x 6.3xmedian 11.1x
P/S now vs peer median 0.9xmedian 2.6x 5.8xmedian 2.6x 1.9xmedian 2.6x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 0.8xmedian 13.5x 35.0xmedian 13.5x 4.1xmedian 13.5x
P/FCF now vs peer median 2.9xmedian 7.0x 24.7xmedian 7.0x -9.0xmedian 7.0x
P/B now vs peer median 1.5xmedian 0.7x 4.5xmedian 0.7x 1.5xmedian 0.7x
PEG now vs peer median 0.04median 0.32 0.23median 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 monthsSTNEAFRMSLM
Revenue $2.73B $4.26B $1.79B
Gross profit $1.19B – –
Operating income $1.03B $416.98M –
Net income $545.33M $1.93B $567.40M
Free cash flow $874.35M $992.63M -$381.64M
EPS (diluted) $2.62 $5.53 $2.98
Cash & equivalents $1.42B $1.63B $2.17B
Total debt – $10.58B $6.43B
Shares (diluted) 273.49M 348.85M 185.57M
Enterprise value -$3.15B $18.20B -$12.91B

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
MetricSTNEAFRMSLM
P/E 3.0x 12.6x 6.3x
P/FCF 2.9x 24.7x -9.0x
P/Operating cash flow 3.3x 19.9x -9.0x
P/S 0.9x 5.8x 1.9x
P/B 1.5x 4.5x 1.5x
P/Tangible book 1.5x 4.5x 1.5x
EV/EBITDA 0.8x 35.0x 4.1x
EV/EBIT 1.0x 62.9x 4.2x
EV/Revenue 0.4x 6.2x 4.3x
EV/FCF 1.1x 26.4x -20.1x
EV/Operating cash flow 1.3x 21.3x -20.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.04 0.23 0.22

Growth

14 metrics
MetricSTNEAFRMSLM
Revenue growth (1Y) 18.3% 32.2% -6.7%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 2.0% 39.0% 1.6%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 13.7% – –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) -16.8% – –
Operating income growth (1Y) 1,432% 577.8% –
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -3.0% 32.9% –
Net income growth (1Y) 86.4% 3,598% -9.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 51.1% 58.2% 19.1%
EPS growth (1Y) 89.5% 3,515% 3.4%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 84.2% 54.1% 28.7%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 415.0% 55.1% -15.8%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 22.3% 365.8% -47.7%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 249.7% 65.0% -15.8%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 16.5% 123.3% -47.7%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricSTNEAFRMSLM
Gross margin 43.7% – –
EBITDA margin 42.4% 17.6% 104.4%
Operating margin 37.5% 9.8% –
Pretax margin 19.8% 11.6% 41.2%
Net margin 26.2% 45.3% 30.9%
FCF margin 32.0% 23.3% -21.3%
Operating cash flow margin 28.5% 28.9% -21.3%
Return on equity 35.1% 41.6% 24.0%
Return on assets 6.4% 13.3% 1.9%
Return on invested capital – 5.6% 16.6%
Return on capital employed 28.7% – –
Asset turnover 0.2x 0.3x 0.1x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x 0.6x -0.7x
Stock comp / revenue 1.7% 7.2% 2.6%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricSTNEAFRMSLM
Debt / assets – 21.1% 21.6%
Debt / equity – 0.6x 2.9x
Net debt / EBITDA – 2.3x 2.3x
Debt / FCF – 3.4x -16.9x
Liabilities / assets 84.4% 65.3% 92.4%
Equity / assets 15.6% 34.7% 7.6%
Interest coverage 1.2x 0.9x 1.7x
Current ratio 1.3x – –
Quick ratio 0.2x – –
Cash ratio 0.2x – –
Altman Z-score 1.03 – –

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricSTNEAFRMSLM
Dividend yield 31.0% – 2.8%
Net buyback yield – -0.6% 15.9%
Shareholder yield 31.0% -0.6% 18.7%
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.

ConsensusSTNEAFRMSLM
Forward P/E 4.4xFY2026 38.9xFY2027 8.5xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $1.84FY2026 $1.87FY2027 $2.20FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +4.0%FY2026 -66.2%FY2027 -36.4%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +15.8% +44.4% +30.5%
Revenue, next fiscal year $2.94BFY2026 $5.23BFY2027 $1.85BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +14.0%FY2026 +22.7%FY2027 -6.7%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +4.0% +24.0% -0.3%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersSTNEAFRMSLM
Held by institutions 59.4% 77.1% 100.0%
Institutions holding 273 658 387
Change in shares held, QoQ -7.6% +8.1% +2.4%
Institutions buying 148 401 193
Institutions selling 81 173 135
Buyers to sellers 1.83 2.32 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.

STNEAFRMSLM
STNE 1.00 0.19 0.12
AFRM 0.19 1.00 0.38
SLM 0.12 0.38 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, STNE, AFRM and SLM?

Affirm Holdings (AFRM) is the largest by market capitalisation: StoneCo (STNE) $2.56B, Affirm Holdings (AFRM) $24.51B, Slm (SLM) $3.43B.

Which stock is cheaper, STNE, AFRM and SLM?

StoneCo (STNE) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (StoneCo (STNE) 3.0x, Affirm Holdings (AFRM) 12.6x, Slm (SLM) 6.3x). On next year's consensus earnings, StoneCo (STNE) is cheapest (StoneCo (STNE) 4.4x, Affirm Holdings (AFRM) 38.9x, 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?

Affirm Holdings (AFRM) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: StoneCo (STNE) +18.3%, Affirm Holdings (AFRM) +32.2%, Slm (SLM) -6.7%.

Which company is more profitable?

Affirm Holdings (AFRM) has the highest net margin (StoneCo (STNE) 26.2%, Affirm Holdings (AFRM) 45.3%, Slm (SLM) 30.9%). On return on invested capital, Slm (SLM) leads (Affirm Holdings (AFRM) 5.6%, Slm (SLM) 16.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Affirm Holdings (AFRM) returned the most: StoneCo (STNE) -58.0%, Affirm Holdings (AFRM) -4.9%, Slm (SLM) -34.0%. Over five years, Slm (SLM) compounded fastest (StoneCo (STNE) -25.1%/yr, Affirm Holdings (AFRM) -14.8%/yr, Slm (SLM) +0.7%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

StoneCo (STNE) has the highest dividend yield: StoneCo (STNE) 31.04%, Slm (SLM) 2.77%. Affirm Holdings (AFRM) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Slm (SLM) has been the steadiest (StoneCo (STNE) 65.3%, Affirm Holdings (AFRM) 59.8%, Slm (SLM) 42.1%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, STNE, AFRM 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, Affirm Holdings (AFRM) leads on 4. 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.