"Once again hands in amazing financial report! Upstart (UPST.US) stock price soared after hours, with Q4 performance and 2025 guidance both exceeding expectations."

Fintech company Upstart (UPST.US) announced strong fourth-quarter performance in 2024 and provided guidance for 2025. Boosted by this news, Upstart's stock surged nearly 26% in after-hours trading as of the time of writing. Data shows that Upstart's Q4 revenue soared 56% year-on-year to $219 million, surpassing market expectations of $182 million; adjusted earnings per share were $0.26, beating market expectations of a loss of $0.04 per share. Adjusted EBITDA was $38.8 million, well above market expectations of $6.1 million, with an adjusted EBITDA margin of 18%. In Q4, Upstart issued a total of 245,663 loans amounting to $2.1 billion, up 68% year-on-year and 33% quarter-on-quarter, with a conversion rate of 19.3%, higher than 11.6% in Q4 2023. Co-founder and CEO of Upstart, Dave Girouard, stated, "In the fourth quarter of 2024, all of our product categories experienced significant growth, and adjusted EBITDA reached its highest level since the first quarter of 2022, bringing us closer to profitability under GAAP accounting standards." Looking ahead, Upstart predicts full-year revenue of around $1 billion in 2025, surpassing market expectations of $823 million; fee revenue is expected to be $920 million, with net interest income of about $80 million. The company forecasts an adjusted EBITDA margin of 18% for 2025, higher than market expectations of 13%. Upstart also anticipates first-quarter revenue of approximately $200 million in 2025, exceeding market expectations of $185 million; adjusted EBITDA is expected to be $27 million, also surpassing market expectations of $10.7 million.