LIVE
LC
LendingClub Corporation · Financials
$19.21
+25.97% this month
VERSUS
⟷
COMPARE
UPST
Upstart Holdings, Inc. · Financials
$32.43
+15.49% this month
Scoreboard verdict
Across AI score, momentum, valuation, upside, operating margin
LC
2
UPST
2
Comparison scoreboard
MIXED SETUPAI Score
LC 25.9
UPST ✓29.5
1Y Return
LC ✓+71.21%
UPST -45.11%
Fwd P/E
LC ✓8.35
UPST 9.47
Target Up.
LC +21.03%
UPST ✓+23.75%
Op. Margin
LC N/A
UPST N/A
Metrics last refreshed: 6/20/2026
Quick take
LC vs UPST Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
LendingClub and Upstart are both digital consumer lenders but with fundamentally different structural approaches. LendingClub is a licensed bank holding loans on its balance sheet and earning net interest income. Upstart is an AI underwriting platform that earns fees routing loans through bank partners without primarily holding credit risk. Both are highly sensitive to consumer credit quality and interest rate cycles, but LendingClub's bank model is more stable; Upstart's fee model has more leverage in good environments and more fragility in bad ones.
LC vs UPST is the digital bank with personal loan and auto refinancing holding credit risk and earning net interest income (LendingClub) versus the AI lending platform earning origination fees through bank partnerships with minimal credit risk but high business model fragility when credit markets tighten (Upstart) — bank stability vs AI lending platform fee leverage.
Live analysis · updated 6/20/2026
LC and UPST are closely matched — they split the tracked metrics evenly. LC leads on both 1-year return (+71.21%) and forward P/E (8.35x vs 9.47x for UPST), a relatively favorable combination of momentum and valuation. Analyst consensus implies similar upside for both: +21.03% for LC and +23.75% for UPST.
Normalized 1Y performance
LC
UPST
Recent returns
LC
UPST
Analyst price targets & sentiment
LC · 10 analysts
STRONG BUYHOLDSTRONG SELL
Strong Buy (1.5/5.0)
Price target range
analyst low$20.00
analyst high$29.00
analyst mean$23.25
current price$19.21
+21.0% upside to analyst mean
UPST · 15 analysts
STRONG BUYHOLDSTRONG SELL
Buy (2.1/5.0)
Price target range
analyst low$20.00
analyst high$80.00
analyst mean$40.13
current price$32.43
+23.8% upside to analyst mean
Who should consider this stock?
LC may suit investors who:
- →prefer bank-model digital lender with balance sheet stability and net interest income rather than pure fee-based model entirely dependent on origination volume
- →value LendingClub's bank charter enabling deposit gathering to fund loan growth independent of marketplace investor appetite
- →want fintech lending exposure with more conservative balance sheet structure than Upstart's partner-dependent model
- →are comfortable with consumer credit cycle sensitivity, credit card debt consolidation market cyclicality, and slower growth vs Upstart in favorable environments
UPST may suit investors who:
- →prefer AI-driven lending innovation with upside leverage to loan origination volume growth in favorable credit environments
- →value Upstart's potential to prove AI underwriting consistently outperforms FICO-based underwriting over a full credit cycle
- →want fintech speculation with higher potential upside if Upstart's bank partner ecosystem expands and AI model performance is vindicated in the next credit cycle
- →are comfortable with high business model fragility, demonstrated model underperformance in the 2022–2023 stress environment, and forced balance sheet credit risk accumulation during market disruptions
Performance & AI score
| Metric | LC | UPST |
|---|---|---|
| AI score | 25.9 | 29.5 |
| AI rank | #2677 | #2339 |
| Latest close | $19.21 | $32.43 |
| 1M return | +25.97% | +15.49% |
| 6M return | +4.52% | -28.01% |
| 1Y return | +71.21% | -45.11% |
$10,000 invested — hypothetical growth (dividends reinvested)
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | LC | UPST |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $17.12K (+71.2%) started 2025-06-18 | $5.49K (-45.1%) started 2025-06-18 |
| 5Y ago | $10.27K (+2.7%) started 2021-06-18 | $2.62K (-73.8%) started 2021-06-18 |
| 10Y ago | $7.68K (-23.2%) started 2016-06-20 | $11K (+10.0%) started 2020-12-16 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
Valuation & upside potential
| Metric | LC | UPST |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $2.22B | $3.1B |
| Trailing P/E | 12.81 | 79.10 |
| Forward P/E | 8.35 | 9.47 |
| Price/Sales | 1.61 | 2.64 |
| EV/Revenue | 1.02 | 3.91 |
| Analyst target | $23.25 | $40.13 |
| Target upside | +21.03% | +23.75% |
Growth, profitability & risk
| Metric | LC | UPST |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | 12.50% | 44.60% |
| Earnings growth | 340.00% | N/A |
| EPS growth | +340.00% | N/A |
| FCF margin | +20.80% | -26.63% |
| Operating margin | N/A | N/A |
| Profit margin | 12.80% | 4.21% |
| ROIC proxy | 12.16% | 7.01% |
| Return on equity | 12.16% | 7.01% |
| Dividend yield | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Beta | 1.97 | 2.28 |
| Debt/equity | 0.82 | 269.84 |
| Current ratio | 2.76 | 11.65 |
| Quick ratio | 1.93 | 2.84 |
Drawdown & downside risk
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
1Y risk snapshot
LC max drawdown38.28%
UPST max drawdown71.21%
LC max wkly drop23.82%
UPST max wkly drop23.39%
5Y risk snapshot
LC max drawdown89.48%
UPST max drawdown96.90%
LC max wkly drop27.57%
UPST max wkly drop70.08%
10Y risk snapshot
LC max drawdown89.48%
UPST max drawdown96.90%
LC max wkly drop28.35%
UPST max wkly drop70.08%
Performance metrics by period
| Period | Metric | LC | UPST |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growth | +71.21% | -45.11% |
| CAGR | +71.28% | -45.13% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 1.17 | -0.56 | |
| Max drawdown | 38.28% | 71.21% | |
| Max daily drop | 15.99% | 18.74% | |
| Max wkly drop | 23.82% | 23.39% | |
| 5Y | Growth | +2.67% | -73.82% |
| CAGR | +0.53% | -23.51% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.26 | 0.22 | |
| Max drawdown | 89.48% | 96.90% | |
| Max daily drop | 29.24% | 56.42% | |
| Max wkly drop | 27.57% | 70.08% | |
| 10Y | Growth | -23.16% | +10.04% |
| CAGR | -2.60% | +1.75% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.20 | 0.53 | |
| Max drawdown | 89.48% | 96.90% | |
| Max daily drop | 29.24% | 56.42% | |
| Max wkly drop | 28.35% | 70.08% |
Business comparison
| Category | LC | UPST |
|---|---|---|
| Company | LendingClub Corporation | Upstart Holdings, Inc. |
| Sector | Financials | Financials |
| Industry | N/A | N/A |
| Core business | LendingClub is a digital bank and marketplace lending platform providing personal loans (primarily debt consolidation), auto refinancing, and LCMA business financing. LendingClub acquired Radius Bank in 2021, giving it a bank charter — allowing it to hold loans on its balance sheet and gather deposits rather than relying entirely on third-party capital for loan funding. LendingClub's member model focuses on the 'middle credit' consumer with established credit history looking to refinance high-rate credit card debt. | Upstart is an AI lending platform that partners with banks to underwrite personal loans, auto loans, and home equity loans using machine learning rather than traditional FICO scores. Upstart argues its AI model more accurately predicts default probability, enabling better approval rates for creditworthy borrowers and better risk-adjusted returns for bank partners. Upstart doesn't primarily hold loans on its balance sheet — it originates and sells them to bank partners or securitizes them, earning origination fees. |
| Investor focus | Investors track loan originations, net interest income from the bank's loan portfolio, credit quality (delinquencies and charge-offs), and LendingClub's ability to grow deposits to fund loan growth. | Investors track loan originations (Upstart's primary volume metric), transaction fee revenue per loan, the number of bank and credit union partners using Upstart's AI model, and macro credit cycle sensitivity of Upstart's business model. |
LC strengths
- →Bank charter (via Radius acquisition) enables LendingClub to hold loans and earn net interest income rather than selling all loans to third-party investors — more stable revenue model
- →Focus on prime and near-prime consumers using personal loans for credit card debt consolidation — a clearly defined niche with established credit history
- →Digital-first banking platform with lower overhead than branch-based banks creates cost efficiency in customer acquisition and servicing
UPST strengths
- →AI underwriting model uses 1,500+ variables vs FICO's single credit score — Upstart claims its model approves more borrowers with equivalent or better credit performance than traditional underwriting
- →Asset-light model (Upstart earns fees without holding most loan credit risk) should reduce balance sheet risk if the AI model accurately predicts defaults
- →Auto loan market expansion gives Upstart a much larger addressable market than personal loans alone
Risks to watch — LC
- →Consumer credit quality deterioration — as interest rates stayed high, delinquencies increased across consumer loan categories including LendingClub's personal loan book
- →Marketplace volume depends on institutional investor appetite for personal loan ABS — when credit markets tighten, third-party buyers retreat and originations fall
- →Competition from SoFi, Upstart, and traditional banks offering competitive personal loan rates limits LendingClub's pricing power
Risks to watch — UPST
- →Upstart's model has performed poorly in stress environments — rising defaults in 2022–2023 exceeded Upstart's model predictions, causing bank partners to reduce or halt originations
- →Business model depends on bank partner confidence in Upstart's AI — if default performance continues to disappoint, partners withdraw and originations collapse
- →Upstart is forced to hold loans on its own balance sheet during market disruptions, concentrating credit risk in the company despite the 'asset-light' marketing claim
Frequently asked questions
Free public comparison
Want deeper AI forecasts?
This comparison page is public and free forever. Subscribers can unlock saved watchlists, full AI rankings, detailed forecasts, and interactive analysis tools.
Related comparisons
More comparisons
Browse all 1,000 comparisons →