Pathward Financial Collaborates with Upstart to Provide Personal Loans
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Nov 06 2025
0mins
Should l Buy UPST?
Partnership Announcement: Pathward Financial (CASH) has partnered with Upstart (UPST) to provide personal loans through Upstart's lending marketplace.
Focus on Financial Inclusion: This collaboration highlights Pathward's commitment to working with industry leaders to deliver innovative financial products that enhance financial inclusion for individuals and businesses.
Trade with 70% Backtested Accuracy
Stop guessing "Should I Buy UPST?" and start using high-conviction signals backed by rigorous historical data.
Sign up today to access powerful investing tools and make smarter, data-driven decisions.
Analyst Views on UPST
Wall Street analysts forecast UPST stock price to rise
13 Analyst Rating
7 Buy
4 Hold
2 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 27.230
Low
20.00
Averages
56.73
High
80.00
Current: 27.230
Low
20.00
Averages
56.73
High
80.00
About UPST
Upstart Holdings, Inc. is an artificial intelligence (AI) lending marketplace. The Company’s platform includes personal loans, automotive retail and refinance loans, home equity lines of credit (HELOCs), and small dollar loans. It applies artificial intelligence models and cloud applications to the process of underwriting consumer credit. Its AI marketplace connects consumers with its lending partner. Its consumers can access Upstart-powered loans via Upstart.com, through a lender-branded product on its lending partners’ own websites, and through auto dealerships that use its Upstart Auto Retail software. Its platform enables lenders provide a product their customers want, rather than letting customers seek loans from competitors. Its cloud-based software platform incorporates technologies and software development approaches to allow for development of new features, such as cloud-native technologies, data integrity and security, and configurable multi-tenant architecture, and others.
About the author

Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
- Investment Strategy Sharing: Fool.com analysts Matt Frankel and Tyler Crowe, as long-term investors, primarily invest in businesses with stable cash flows while also venturing into more speculative stocks to seek higher returns.
- Portfolio Composition: The bulk of both analysts' portfolios consists of reliable companies that provide stable cash flow, ensuring the safety and sustainability of their investments.
- Speculative Stock Analysis: In the video, the analysts discuss their most speculative stock holdings, emphasizing the potential risks and rewards associated with these stocks, showcasing their unique insights into the market.
- Market Dynamics Observation: The stock prices mentioned in the video are based on the morning prices of February 26, 2026, reflecting the investors' real-time attention to and analysis of market dynamics.
See More
- Portfolio Composition: Analysts Matt Frankel and Tyler Crowe from Fool.com primarily hold solid businesses with reliable cash flows in their portfolios, while also investing in some more 'exciting' ventures, showcasing their balanced strategy between stability and risk.
- Market Performance Comparison: As of March 2, 2026, Stock Advisor's total average return stands at 941%, significantly outperforming the S&P 500's 194%, indicating the superiority of their stock recommendations and potential investor gains.
- Stock Recommendation Analysis: Although NextDecade did not make the latest top ten stock list, the analyst team believes that the other ten stocks could yield substantial returns in the coming years, emphasizing the importance of investment choices.
- Investor Community: The Motley Fool's investment community is built by individual investors to share successful investment experiences and strategies, encouraging more investors to participate and access the latest investment advice.
See More
- Massive Layoffs: Block CEO Jack Dorsey's announcement of cutting approximately 4,000 jobs, nearly half of the company's workforce, underscores a decisive shift in corporate structure as AI becomes increasingly central to operations, potentially impacting employee morale and company culture.
- Industry Trend Implications: Dorsey anticipates that within the next year, most companies will face similar structural changes, indicating a widespread trend in corporate transformation towards AI applications, which could lead to broader adjustments in the job market.
- Divergent Economist Views: While layoffs raise concerns about the employment landscape, economists argue that these are primarily company-specific adjustments rather than signals for the overall economy, emphasizing that the current unemployment rate remains healthy at 4.3%.
- Far-reaching AI Impact: As companies reconsider resource allocation, the widespread adoption of AI technology may disrupt jobs across various sectors, with tech jobs accounting for only 5% to 7% of the total workforce, yet increasing investments in capital spending could reshape future employment dynamics.
See More
- Revenue Milestone: Upstart achieved its first-ever $1 billion revenue year in 2026, marking a significant growth milestone that is likely to attract increased investor interest in its future prospects.
- Profitability Improvement: The company reported solid profitability, indicating the sustainability of its business model and competitive position in the market, which may bolster investor confidence and drive stock price appreciation.
- Loan Vertical Expansion: Upstart's strong performance in newer loan verticals highlights its innovative capabilities and market adaptability, suggesting potential for further market share expansion and overall performance enhancement.
- Cautious Investor Sentiment: Despite impressive results, analysts note that investors may approach Upstart with caution, reflecting concerns about its future growth potential, which could impact short-term stock performance.
See More
- Revenue Milestone: Upstart recently reported achieving its first-ever $1 billion annual revenue, showcasing strong growth in its loan verticals, particularly in newer segments, indicating an increasing competitive edge in the market.
- Profitability Improvement: The company not only achieved revenue growth but also maintained solid profitability, providing confidence to future investors, although the market remains cautious about its future performance.
- Investor Caution: Despite Upstart's impressive results, the Motley Fool analyst team did not include it in their current top ten stock recommendations, reflecting a cautious outlook on its future growth potential that may influence investor decisions.
- Market Performance Comparison: The Motley Fool's Stock Advisor service shows an average total return of 916%, significantly outperforming the S&P 500's 194%, further emphasizing the need for investors to carefully assess Upstart's relative performance when making stock selections.
See More
- Mortgage Rate Decline: The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate has dropped to 6.09%, the lowest since September 2022, approximately 80 basis points lower than last year, significantly enhancing home affordability for buyers.
- Lower Housing Costs: For a $400,000 home, the monthly payment at the current rate is $1,937, down from $2,103 at last year's 6.88%, saving buyers $166 monthly and nearly $59,760 in interest over 30 years, which could stimulate housing demand.
- Surge in Refinancing Activity: The decline in rates is expected to boost refinancing, particularly for homeowners who purchased in the last three years, potentially lowering their monthly payments and driving business growth for mortgage companies like Rocket Companies and Wells Fargo.
- Home Improvement Retailers Benefit: Lower rates may encourage homeowners to tap into their home equity for large purchases, benefiting home improvement retailers like Home Depot and material suppliers like Trex, thereby enhancing their market performance.
See More







