Based on key financial metrics such as the price-to-sales ratio, shareholder yield and the price-earnings ratio, the following 5 stocks made the list for top value stocks in the Consumer Lending industry. Those looking for value stocks to add to their portfolio may want to use this list as a starting point for further investment research.

Latest Consumer Lending Stock News

Before choosing which top Consumer Lending stock to buy, be sure to conduct proper due diligence: analyze various financial metrics and look at historical data, public statements and news coverage.

There is a neutral forecast for the consumer lending sector. In contrast to organizations that target subprime customers, the outlook is favorable for businesses with a prime and wealthy customer base. In addition, consumers amassed $87.3 billion in new credit card debt in 2021, significantly more than the $48.5 billion 10-year average, according to WalletHub's Credit Card Debt Study. It is expected that loan growth will continue to be high in 2022 as consumers use down their extra savings and government aid continues to be phased out. In 2022,  net revenue is expected to expand due to increasing net interest income. Expanding net interest margins and loan expansion are two factors believes to benefit net interest income. As a result of multi-decade high inflation, the Fed could increase interest rates several more times in 2022–2023. The S&P Consumer Finance sub-industry was down 21.2% year to date as of July 1 compared to a 17.9% decline in the Financials sector as a whole and a 19.7% decline in the S&P 1500 Index. In 2021, the subsector increased by 34.7%, the Financials sector increased by 32.0%, and the S&P 1500 Index increased by 26.7%.

Why Focus on Undervalued Consumer Lending Stocks?

Value investors seek to buy stocks at a discount to their intrinsic value. Long-term returns show that such strategies are advantageous. Value stocks, as a group, tend to outperform growth stocks over extended periods of time. Typically, value investors perform financial analysis of numerous metrics, don’t follow the herd and are long-term investors.

AAII’s A+ Investor Value Grade is derived 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.

What Goes Into AAII’s Value Grade?

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data as well as the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movement. 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 with that task.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A–F grades for more than just value. It is possible for a stock to appear cheap based on one valuation metric but appear expensive on another. It is also possible for one valuation ratio to be associated with outperforming stocks during certain periods of time but not others. Some stocks may even have null values for certain metrics like the price-earnings ratio or the price-to-book ratio but not others. An example of this would be a company with losses instead of profits or a negative book value because of heavy borrowing. Negative earnings or book value result in non-meaningful ratios that are left blank or null.

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5 Undervalued Consumer Lending Stocks

Of course, there are countless value stocks that are worth mentioning, but this is a concise list of the top 5 undervalued stocks in the Consumer Lending industry for Thursday, May 18, 2023. Let’s take a closer look at their individual scores to see how they measure up against each other and the Consumer Lending industry median.

The Value Grade is assigned based on how each stock’s composite valuation compares to all other stocks.

The process for assigning grades starts with each variable for a given stock. The percentile rankings for all valid ratios that a stock has are calculated. So, for instance, a stock could have a price-to-book ranking in the 43rd percentile, a price-earnings ranking in the 67th percentile, a price-to-sales ranking in the 23rd percentile, etc. Then, those rankings are averaged for each stock. (A minimum of two valid variables are required, though all six will be used if available.)

Once the average of the individual variables is calculated, that average is ranked against all stocks. Put another way, each stock’s composite valuation is compared to all other stocks. These ranks are then sorted into quintiles from the cheapest 20% (a grade of A) to the most expensive 20% (a grade of F).

As always, we recommend that you conduct proper due diligence and research before investing in any security. We also suggest that investors utilize numerous grades, not just value, when it comes to deciding whether a company is a good fit for their allocation needs.

Aaron's Company Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

The Aaron's Company, Inc. is a technology-enabled, omnichannel provider of lease-to-own (LTO) and retail purchase solutions. The Company operates through two segments: Aaron's Business and BrandsMart. The Aaron's Business segment is comprised of Aaron's branded Company-operated and franchise-operated stores; aarons.com e-commerce platform (aarons.com); Woodhaven, and BrandsMart Leasing (collectively, Aaron?s Business). The retail store and e-commerce operations of BrandsMart U.S.A. (excluding BrandsMart Leasing) comprise the BrandsMart segment (collectively, BrandsMart). BrandsMart U.S.A. is an appliance and consumer electronics retailer in the southeast United States and an appliance retailer in the country with over 10 stores in Florida and Georgia and an e-commerce presence on brandsmartusa.com. Aaron?s offers a direct-to-consumer lease-to-own solution through its 1,266 Company-operated and franchised stores in over 47 states and Canada, as well as its e-commerce platform.

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

Aaron's Company Inc has a Value Score of 99, which is considered to be undervalued.

When you look at Aaron's Company Inc’s price-to-sales ratio at 0.17 compared to the industry median at 0.79, this company has a lower price relative to revenue compared to its peers. This could make Aaron's Company Inc’s stock more attractive for value investors.

Now, let’s assess Aaron's Company Inc’s EV/EBITDA ratio, also known as enterprise multiple. At 0.8, when compared to the industry median of 13.6, the company may be considered undervalued in relation to its peers. Value investors could use the enterprise multiple to identify stocks that are considered overvalued or undervalued relative to their industry.

Shareholder yield is the sum of a stock’s dividend yield (paid over previous 12 months minus special dividends) and the percentage of net share buybacks over the previous 12 months. Aaron's Company Inc’s shareholder yield is higher than its industry median ratio of 2.68%. Value investors may look for an attractive shareholder yield because it can be a powerful tool for identifying if the company has a good management team.

As one of the most common value metrics, the price-to-book ratio evaluates a company’s current market price relative to its book value. Aaron's Company Inc’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its industry median ratio of 0.77. This could make Aaron's Company Inc more attractive to investors looking for a new addition to their portfolio.

Lastly, let’s take a look at Aaron's Company Inc’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio (P/FCF), which can indicate a company’s market value relative to its operating cash flow. Aaron's Company Inc’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio is higher than its industry median ratio of 2.43. This could make Aaron's Company Inc less attractive because the higher P/FCF ratio indicates that Aaron's Company Inc is undervalued. The P/FCF ratio metric can also be viewed over a long-term time frame to see if the company's cash flow to share price value is generally improving or worsening.

Bread Financial Holdings Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. is a tech-forward financial services company. The Company is engaged in providing simple, personalized payment, lending, and saving solutions. The Company through its data insights and white-label technology, it delivers a comprehensive product suite, including private label and co-brand credit cards and buy now, pay later products (split-pay). It also offers direct-to-consumer solutions that give customers more access, and freedom through its branded Bread Cashback American Express Credit Card and Bread Savings products. The Company offers both direct-to-consumer retail deposit products as well as deposits sourced through contractual arrangements with various financial counterparties (often referred to as wholesale deposits). Its products are supported by various services and capabilities, including risk management, account origination and funding services; loan processing and servicing; marketing and data and analytics; and its Enhanced Digital Suite.

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

Bread Financial Holdings Inc has a Value Score of 94, which is considered to be undervalued.

Bread Financial Holdings Inc’s price-earnings ratio is 3.2 compared to the industry median at 7.8. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Bread Financial Holdings Inc more attractive for value investors.

Bread Financial Holdings Inc’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Bread Financial Holdings Inc less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 0.77.

You can read more about Bread Financial Holdings Inc’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc.’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc. is a specialty finance company. The Company?s business is to provide purchase and service retail automobile contracts originated primarily by franchised automobile dealers and, to a lesser extent, by select independent dealers in the United States in the sale of new and used automobiles, light trucks, and passenger vans. Through its automobile contract purchases, it provides indirect financing to the customers of dealers. It serves as an alternative source of financing for dealers, facilitating sales to customers from traditional sources, such as commercial banks, credit unions, and the finance companies affiliated with automobile manufacturers. It also originates vehicle purchase money loans by lending directly to consumers. It offers over eight different financing programs and prices each program according to relative credit risk. Its financing programs include First Time Buyer, Mercury / Delta, Standard, Alpha, Alpha Plus, Super Alpha and Preferred.

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

Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc. has a Value Score of 85, which is considered to be undervalued.

Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 3.4 compared to the industry median at 7.8. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc. more attractive for value investors.

Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc.’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its peers. This could make Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc. more attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 0.77.

You can read more about Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc.’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

Curo Group Holdings Corp’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

CURO Group Holdings Corp. is a technology-enabled, omni-channel consumer finance company serving a full spectrum of non-prime, near-prime and prime consumers in portions of the United States (U.S) and Canada. The Company?s segments include the U.S. Direct Lending, Canada Direct Lending and Canada POS Lending. The U.S. Direct Lending segment provides secured and unsecured installment loan products to near-prime and non-prime consumers as well as credit insurance and other ancillary financial products. Its Canada Direct Lending segment provides revolving line of credit (LOC) and installment loans, which include single-pay loans, check cashing, money transfer services, foreign currency exchange, reloadable prepaid debit cards and a number of other ancillary financial products and services. Its Canada POS Lending segment serves Canadian customers through POS financing available at approximately 8,400 retail locations and over 3,500 merchant partners across 10 provinces and two territories.

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

Curo Group Holdings Corp has a Value Score of 85, which is considered to be undervalued.

You can read more about Curo Group Holdings Corp’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

Guild Holdings Co’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Guild Holdings Company is a mortgage company engaged in providing residential mortgage products. The Company's segments include Origination and Servicing. The Originations segment operates its loan origination business throughout the United States. The Originations segment is s primarily responsible for loan origination, acquisition and sale activities. In Servicing segment, the Company services loans out of its corporate office in San Diego, California. The Servicing segment provides a stream of cash flow to support the origination segment. The Servicing segment is primarily responsible for the servicing activities of all loans in the Company's servicing portfolio, which includes collection and remittance of loan payments, managing borrower's impound accounts for taxes and insurance, loan payoffs, loss mitigation and foreclosure activities. It has developed in-house servicing platform. It operates loan origination business in approximately 49 states and the District of Columbia.

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

Guild Holdings Co has a Value Score of 84, which is considered to be undervalued.

Guild Holdings Co’s price-earnings ratio is 7.9 compared to the industry median at 7.8. This means that it has a higher price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Guild Holdings Co less attractive for value investors.

Guild Holdings Co’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Guild Holdings Co less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 0.77.

You can read more about Guild Holdings Co’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

Other Consumer Lending Stock Grades

Value is just one of the five Stock Grades included in our A+ Investor service. AAII members can see the top-graded stocks—those with grades of A or B for value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality—on the A+ Stock Grades Screener.

Also, if you want full access to all of AAII’s premium services, you can subscribe to one convenient bundled plan called AAII Platinum where you can try out A+ Investor, AAII Dividend Investing, the Stock Superstars Report, Growth Investing and VMQ Stocks. With the other premium services, you can dive deep into additional metrics, portfolios, commentary and information about Consumer Lending stocks as well as other industrys.

Choosing Which of the 5 Best Consumer Lending Stocks Is Right for You

Choosing which value stocks to invest in will ultimately depend on your individual goals and allocation; however, comparing similar value stocks in the same industry can help you analyze which might be better investments for you in the long run. So, let’s take a look at the Value Grade for all of our stocks.

• Aaron's Company Inc stock has a Value Grade of A.
• Bread Financial Holdings Inc stock has a Value Grade of A.
• Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc. stock has a Value Grade of A.
• Curo Group Holdings Corp stock has a Value Grade of A.
• Guild Holdings Co stock has a Value Grade of A.

Now that you have a bit more background about each of the 5 undervalued stocks in the Consumer Lending industry as well as their overall grades, it’s time for you to conduct additional research to see if these could fit your portfolio needs based on your goals and risk tolerance. AAII can help you figure out both and identify which investments align with what works best for you.

We do so through a program of education that teaches you to invest for yourself and become an effective manager of your own wealth—no more relying on others for your financial independence. You can rely on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis that makes you a better investor.

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

Additional Resources About Consumer Lending Stocks

Want to learn more about Consumer Lending stocks to see if they could be the right investment for you? Check out some additional resources and articles to help you on your financial journey.

• 5 Undervalued Consumer Lending Stocks for Thursday, May 18
• 5 Undervalued Consumer Lending Stocks for Wednesday, May 17
• Why Aaron's Company Inc’s (AAN) Stock Is Up 4.10%
• Why Ally Financial Inc’s (ALLY) Stock Is Up 4.23%

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