Sifting through countless of stocks in the Consumer Finance industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Upstart Holdings, Inc., Encore Capital Group or Inc. because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Upstart Holdings, Inc., Encore Capital Group and Inc. compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Upstart Holdings, Inc., Encore Capital Group and Inc.

Upstart Holdings, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates a cloud-based artificial intelligence (AI) lending platform in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Personal Lending, Auto Lending, and Other. Its platform includes unsecured personal loans, small dollar loans, auto refinance, auto retail loans, and auto secured personal loan, and home equity lines of credit. Upstart Holdings, Inc. was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in San Mateo, California.

Encore Capital Group, Inc., a specialty finance company, provides debt recovery solutions and other related services for consumers across financial assets worldwide. The company purchases portfolios of defaulted consumer receivables at discounts to face value, as well as manages them by working with individuals as they repay their obligations and works toward financial recovery. It is also involved in the provision of debt servicing, such as early stage collection, business process outsourcing, and contingent collection services. In addition, the company engages in debt servicing and other portfolio management services to credit originator for non-performing loans. Further, it offers credit management services. Encore Capital Group, Inc. was incorporated in 1999 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.

Latest Consumer Finance and Upstart Holdings, Inc., Encore Capital Group, Inc. Stock News

As of July 30, 2026, Upstart Holdings, Inc. had a $2.6 billion market capitalization, compared to the Consumer Finance median of $1.2 million. Upstart Holdings, Inc.’s stock is down 37.3% in 2026, up 1.9% in the previous five trading days and down 66.39% in the past year.

Currently, Upstart Holdings, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 65.3. Upstart Holdings, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $1.2 billion with a 4.2% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 44.6%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $2.334 per share for the current fiscal year. Upstart Holdings, Inc. does not currently pay a dividend.

As of July 30, 2026, Encore Capital Group, Inc. had a $2.0 billion market cap, putting it in the 54th percentile of all stocks. Encore Capital Group, Inc.’s stock is up 73.1% in 2026, up 4.4% in the previous five trading days and up 150.47% in the past year.

Currently, Encore Capital Group, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 7.3. Encore Capital Group, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $1.9 billion with a 16.0% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 21.0%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $12.997 per share for the current fiscal year. Encore Capital Group, Inc. does not currently pay a dividend.

How We Compare Upstart Holdings, Inc., Encore Capital Group and Inc. Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Upstart Holdings, Inc., Encore Capital Group and Inc.’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Upstart Holdings, Inc., Encore Capital Group and Inc. Stock Value Grades

Company	Ticker	Value
Upstart Holdings, Inc.	UPST	F
Encore Capital Group, Inc.	ECPG	A

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection.

Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

AAII’s A+ Investor Value Grade derives from a stock’s value score. The Value Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of the price-to-sales ratio, price-earnings ratio, enterprise-value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio, shareholder yield, price-to-book-value ratio and price-to-free-cash-flow ratio. The score is variable, meaning it can consider all six ratios or, should any of the six ratios not be valid, the remaining ratios that are valid. To be assigned a Value Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) ratio and corresponding ranking for at least two of the six valuation ratios.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are a good value and so on.

Upstart Holdings, Inc. has a Value Score of 14, which is Ultra Expensive. Encore Capital Group, Inc. has a Value Score of 91, which is Deep Value.

The Value Stock Winner: Encore Capital Group, Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Value Grade breakdown above, Encore Capital Group, Inc. is considered to have better value than Upstart Holdings, Inc.. For investors who focus solely on a company’s valuation, Encore Capital Group, Inc. could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Upstart Holdings, Inc., Encore Capital Group and Inc. Growth Grades

Company	Ticker	Growth
Upstart Holdings, Inc.	UPST	D
Encore Capital Group, Inc.	ECPG	C

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

Upstart Holdings, Inc. has a Growth Score of 26, which is Weak. Encore Capital Group, Inc. has a Growth Score of 56, which is Average.

The Growth Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Upstart Holdings, Inc., Encore Capital Group or Inc. has a high enough Growth Grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors who are considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolios. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if Upstart Holdings, Inc., Encore Capital Group or Inc. is the better investment when it comes to sustainable growth.

Upstart Holdings, Inc., Encore Capital Group and Inc.’s Momentum Grades

Company	Ticker	Momentum
Upstart Holdings, Inc.	UPST	F
Encore Capital Group, Inc.	ECPG	A

Momentum grades help to uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming. Momentum is based on the price change of a stock over a specified period relative to all other stocks.

Typically, AAII looks at the weighted relative strength over the trailing four quarters. The weighted four-quarter relative strength rank is the relative price change for each of the past four quarters. The most recent quarterly price change is given a weight of 40% and each of the three previous quarters are given a weighting of 20%.

Upstart Holdings, Inc. has a Momentum Score of 9, which is Very Weak. Encore Capital Group, Inc. has a Momentum Score of 92, which is Very Strong.

The Momentum Grade Winner: Encore Capital Group, Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Momentum Grade breakdown above, Encore Capital Group, Inc. is considered to have stronger momentum compared to Upstart Holdings, Inc.. For those specifically looking for companies that have stronger momentum compared to other companies in the same industry, Encore Capital Group, Inc. could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Other Upstart Holdings, Inc., Encore Capital Group and Inc. Grades

In addition to Value, Momentum and Growth, A+ Investor also provides grades for Estimate Revisions and Quality.

Earnings estimate revisions scores take into account the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, surprises beget further surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the ranking of key metrics. Specifically, the quality grade is the percentile rank of the composite of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and F-Score.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Upstart Holdings, Inc., Encore Capital Group and Inc. pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Upstart Holdings, Inc., Encore Capital Group or Inc. Stock?

Overall, Upstart Holdings, Inc. stock has a Value Score of 14, Growth Score of 26 and Momentum Score of 9.

Encore Capital Group, Inc. stock has a Value Score of 91, Growth Score of 56 and Momentum Score of 92.

Comparing Upstart Holdings, Inc., Encore Capital Group and Inc.’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.