SoFi just set a slew of lending records, but here's why its stock is falling

By Emily Bary

The company 'uncharacteristically' didn't raise its full-year outlook despite beating expectations in the latest quarter

SoFi CEO Anthony Noto touted the company's "strategic entry into new areas like digital assets."

SoFi Technologies just noted various milestone performances across its lending business, but shares of the financial-technology company were sliding as the company declined to raise its full-year forecast.

"The Street will hate these results, in our view, but we see limited downside," William Blair analyst Andrew Jeffrey wrote in a note to clients.

First, the bright spots: The neobanking company logged a record $12.2 billion in total loan originations, up by almost $1.7 billion from the prior quarter. Student-loan originations more than doubled to a record $2.6 billion, while home loans saw similar growth, reaching $1.2 billion in originations with strong contributions from home-equity loans.

SoFi (SOFI) recorded $8.3 billion in personal-loan originations - another record. The credit performance of personal loans improved, with annualized net charge-offs down 28 basis points relative to the year before.

The lending momentum helped contribute to $1.09 billion in overall adjusted net revenue for SoFi, up 41% from a year before and above the $1.05 billion FactSet consensus.

But Jeffrey hypothesized that issues in the private-credit market have weighed on fee revenue. He pointed to a roughly $700 billion sequential decline in platform volume, which came in at $3 billion, "well below" the $4 billion he was projecting. "Our sense is that private credit woes are hitting home."

Another major sticking point is SoFi's outlook. For the second quarter, the company expects adjusted net revenue growth of about 30%. The FactSet consensus implied expectations for nearly 31% growth.

Additionally, SoFi disclosed that it "maintains its strong outlook" for the full year. That calls for, among other things, approximately $4.655 billion in adjusted net revenue. Some investors may have wanted to see a boost to the full-year forecast in light of various beats registered in the latest quarter.

The company "uncharacteristically did not flow through" its recent upside, Jeffrey wrote.

Shares of SoFi slid 15.4% on Wednesday.

SoFi's business goes beyond lending. During the first quarter, the company started minting a stablecoin called SoFiUSD and enhanced its broader settlement capabilities within the cryptocurrency market.

"Our strategic entry into new areas like digital assets alongside the strong growth in our existing businesses are strengthening and diversifying our platform," CEO Anthony Noto said in a release.

Those growth avenues mean SoFi will "keep investing in better products and experiences" as the company looks to compound its performance, Noto said.

-Emily Bary

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04-29-26 1718ET