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Upstart Holdings, Inc.: Q4 FY2025 earnings call

What management said about Q4 FY2025, from the documents filed with the SEC on 10 February 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 5 new. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue and fee revenue grew: Q4 total revenue was $296.1 million, up 35%, and revenue from fees was $265.2 million, up 33%, the company reported. Source
  • Full-year profit replaced 2024 loss: Full-year 2025 income from operations was $42.6 million, against a $172.9 million loss in 2024. Diluted EPS was $0.45, compared with $(1.44). Source
  • Auto and home originations grew fivefold: Management said auto and home originations each grew 5X in 2025 and accelerated further in Q4. Source
  • Borrower acquisition spending rose: Q4 borrower acquisition costs were $79.5 million, up from $44.2 million, and Contribution Margin was 53%, against 61% a year earlier. Source
  • Balance-sheet loans reduced by a fifth: Management said loans on the balance sheet fell 20% quarter over quarter, and expects this trend to continue. Loans at fair value were $984.6 million at year-end. Source
  • Annual guidance replaces quarterly guidance: From 2026 management intends to give annual guidance and stop quarterly guidance, reflecting a long-term focus and an evolving disclosure framework. Source
  • Monthly origination volumes now published: Upstart began publishing monthly origination volume and expects to continue on a monthly basis, matching Transaction Volume, Dollars. Source

“In 2025, we grew originations 86% and revenues 64% while growing headcount just 18% - a ratio any business would die for. And we re-established Upstart as a strongly profitable business,”

Dave Girouard, Co-founder and CEO of Upstart

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Total revenue Sourcefull-year 2026approximately $1.4 billionNew
Revenue from fees Sourcefull-year 2026approximately $1.3 billionNew
Adjusted EBITDA margin Sourcefull-year 2026approximately 21%New
Total revenue compound annual growth rate Source2025-2028approximately 35%New
Terminal Adjusted EBITDA margin Source2025-2028 period, terminalapproximately 25%New

What changed from last quarter

  • New guidance: Annual financial guidance for 2026 and targets for 2025-2028 were provided for the first time. Source
  • Guidance withdrawn: Quarterly guidance is to be discontinued from 2026 in favour of annual guidance. Source
  • New: Co-founder Paul Gu is to become CEO on May 1, as part of a leadership evolution. Source
  • New: Monthly origination volume is now published, matching Transaction Volume, Dollars in the financial statements. Source
  • New: The Conversion Rate definition and calculation method were revised from Q4 2025, with prior periods recast. Source
  • New: The Percentage of Loans Fully Automated methodology was revised from Q4 2025; prior periods were not adjusted. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Revenue and fee revenue grew: Q4 total revenue was $296.1 million, up 35%, and revenue from fees was $265.2 million, up 33%, the company reported. Source
  • Operating income compared with prior loss: Q4 income from operations was $18.9 million, compared with a loss of $4.8 million in the prior-year quarter. Q4 diluted EPS was $0.17. Source
  • Full-year profit replaced 2024 loss: Full-year 2025 income from operations was $42.6 million, against a $172.9 million loss in 2024. Diluted EPS was $0.45, compared with $(1.44). Source

Products and borrower funnel

  • Auto and home originations grew fivefold: Management said auto and home originations each grew 5X in 2025 and accelerated further in Q4. Source
  • Partners fund most auto and home loans: About 70% of Q4 funding for auto and home loans came from 11 partners, and 13 more partners were signed for the coming year. Source
  • Automation share held at 91%: Percentage of Loans Fully Automated was 91% in both Q4 2025 and Q4 2024. The metric's methodology was revised, and prior periods were not adjusted. Source

“Our auto and home originations each grew 5X in 2025 - and accelerated even further in Q4.”

Dave Girouard, Co-founder and CEO of Upstart

Costs, margins and contribution

  • Borrower acquisition spending rose: Q4 borrower acquisition costs were $79.5 million, up from $44.2 million, and Contribution Margin was 53%, against 61% a year earlier. Source
  • Operating expenses rose across lines: Q4 sales and marketing expense was $90.6 million, up from $55.5 million, and customer operations expense was $51.8 million, up from $40.6 million. Source
  • Full-year Adjusted EBITDA margin rose: Full-year Adjusted EBITDA was $230.5 million, a 22% margin, against $10.6 million and a 2% margin in 2024. Source
  • Full-year contribution profit rose: Full-year Contribution Profit was $531.1 million, up 39%. Contribution Margin was 56%, against 60% in 2024. Source
  • Realized loan-sale loss increased: Realized loss on sale of loans, net, was $13.8 million in Q4, against $1.4 million in Q4 2024. Source

Loan volume and balance sheet

  • Balance-sheet loans reduced by a fifth: Management said loans on the balance sheet fell 20% quarter over quarter, and expects this trend to continue. Loans at fair value were $984.6 million at year-end. Source
  • Q4 origination dollars rose: Q4 originations were roughly $3.2 billion, up 52%. Full-year originations were roughly $11.0 billion, up 86%. Source
  • Q4 interest income increased: Q4 interest income was $60.8 million, up from $41.5 million, and fair value and other adjustments were a $21.9 million negative item. Source

“With 70% of funding for Auto and Home loans originated in Q4 coming from 11 different partners and an additional 13 signed for the coming year, we’re set up for a breakout in 2026,”

Dave Girouard, Co-founder and CEO of Upstart

Capital, cash and shareholder returns

  • Operating cash flow turned negative: Net cash used in operating activities was $147.7 million for 2025, against $186.3 million provided in 2024. Source
  • Convertible notes issued and repurchased: The company repurchased $224.2 million of convertible notes in 2025 and purchased $55.2 million of capped calls. Source
  • Cash balance increased in 2025: Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash ended 2025 at $1,057.0 million, up from $976.3 million at the start of the year. Source
  • Borrowings and equity both rose: Total stockholders' equity was $798.8 million, up from $633.2 million. Borrowings rose to $1,829.1 million from $1,402.2 million. Source
  • Shares outstanding increased: Shares issued and outstanding rose to 98,033,361 at December 31, 2025, from 93,469,721 a year earlier. Source

Strategy, disclosure and investment

  • Annual guidance replaces quarterly guidance: From 2026 management intends to give annual guidance and stop quarterly guidance, reflecting a long-term focus and an evolving disclosure framework. Source
  • Monthly origination volumes now published: Upstart began publishing monthly origination volume and expects to continue on a monthly basis, matching Transaction Volume, Dollars. Source
  • Disclosure upgrades aimed at investors: Management said the upgrades to disclosures and guidance are meant to help investors understand near-term dynamics and long-term potential. Source

People and leadership

  • Headcount grew far slower than volume: Management said 2025 originations grew 86% and revenues 64%, while headcount grew 18%. Source
  • CEO transition set for May 1: Co-founder Paul Gu is to become CEO on May 1, the release said, as part of a leadership evolution. Source
  • Leadership change to be discussed: Management said it would address the leadership evolution during the webcast and conference call held the same day. Source

Coming up, as management said on 10 February 2026

  • Annual guidance begins in 2026: Annual financial guidance replaces quarterly guidance from 2026, according to the release. Source
  • Paul Gu takes over as CEO: Co-founder Paul Gu is set to become CEO on May 1. Source
  • Monthly origination volume to continue: Upstart will keep publishing monthly origination volume, with the latest numbers available at upstart.com/volume. Source
  • Thirteen more partners for 2026: Management said 13 additional partners have been signed for the coming year. Source

In management's words

“The opportunity to radically transform access to credit with AI is unimaginably large and we want to offer the world a courtside seat as this future unfolds,”

Dave Girouard, Co-founder and CEO of Upstart

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Transaction Volume, Number of Loans Source455,788 in Q4 2025; 1,497,149 in 2025
Transaction Volume, Dollars Source$3.2 billion in Q4 2025; $11.0 billion in 2025
Conversion Rate Source19.4% in Q4 2025 (18.0% in Q4 2024); 19.4% in 2025 (15.1% in 2024)
Percentage of Loans Fully Automated Source91% in Q4 2025 and 91% in Q4 2024

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.