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Will AFRM's Active Consumer Base Growth Translate Into a Strong FY26?
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Key Takeaways
Affirm's active consumers rose 24% year over year in Q1 FY26.
Higher retention, new consumer acquisitions and platform partnerships fueled this expansion.
Total transactions jumped 52.2% and revenues grew 33.6% on strong repeat customer activity.
Affirm Holdings, Inc. (AFRM - Free Report) is seeing a steady increase in active consumers, which is shaping up to be one of the key indicators for the company as it heads into fiscal 2026. In the first quarter of fiscal 2026, its active consumer base witnessed 24% year-over-year growth, driven by a higher retention rate of active consumers along with the acquisition of new consumers through its expanding network of active merchants and valuable platform partnerships.
Its commitment to offering transparent, interest-free payment options and flexible installment plans has kept demand strong, particularly among younger shoppers who are leaning more toward alternatives to traditional credit. This growing user pool not only highlights AFRM’s brand stickiness but also reinforces the broader shift toward pay-over-time models in digital commerce. Its enhanced underwriting process, strong cybersecurity measures, robust fraud detection systems and secure checkout integrations further strengthen consumer confidence.
As more shoppers engage with AFRM for their everyday purchases, travel plans and big-ticket items, the platform is witnessing deeper integration into consumer spending habits. Total transactions rallied 52.2% year over year in the first quarter on the back of a significant surge in repeat customer transactions, which resulted in 33.6% growth in total revenues.
However, the path to a stronger fiscal 2026 has its hurdles, such as higher funding costs, evolving BNPL regulations and changes in consumer borrowing behavior. If the company can keep up its momentum in attracting and retaining active shoppers, it could survive fiscal 2026 with stronger demand visibility and a more robust business model.
How Are Competitors Faring?
Some of AFRM’s competitors in the BNPL space are Klarna Group plc (KLAR - Free Report) and PayPal Holdings, Inc. (PYPL - Free Report) .
Klarna’s broader ecosystem also continues gaining momentum, supported by 114 million global active users, which rose 32% year over year in the third quarter of 2025 and 3.4 million daily transactions. KLAR’s total revenues rose 26% year over year in the same quarter.
PayPal reported 438 million active accounts in the third quarter of 2025, which rose 1% year over year. Its net revenues increased 7% year over year to $8.4 billion in the same quarter. Additionally, PayPal’s total payment volume increased 8% year over year in the third quarter of 2025.
Affirm’s Price Performance, Valuation & Estimates
In the year-to-date period, AFRM’s shares gained 11.8% compared with the industry’s rise of 10.2%.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
From a valuation standpoint, AFRM trades at a forward price-to-sales ratio of 5.03, above the industry average of 4.98. AFRM carries a Value Score of D.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Affirm’s fiscal 2026 earnings implies 566.7% growth from the year-ago period. The consensus mark for fiscal 2026 revenues indicates 26% year-over-year growth.
Image: Bigstock
Will AFRM's Active Consumer Base Growth Translate Into a Strong FY26?
Key Takeaways
Affirm Holdings, Inc. (AFRM - Free Report) is seeing a steady increase in active consumers, which is shaping up to be one of the key indicators for the company as it heads into fiscal 2026. In the first quarter of fiscal 2026, its active consumer base witnessed 24% year-over-year growth, driven by a higher retention rate of active consumers along with the acquisition of new consumers through its expanding network of active merchants and valuable platform partnerships.
Its commitment to offering transparent, interest-free payment options and flexible installment plans has kept demand strong, particularly among younger shoppers who are leaning more toward alternatives to traditional credit. This growing user pool not only highlights AFRM’s brand stickiness but also reinforces the broader shift toward pay-over-time models in digital commerce. Its enhanced underwriting process, strong cybersecurity measures, robust fraud detection systems and secure checkout integrations further strengthen consumer confidence.
As more shoppers engage with AFRM for their everyday purchases, travel plans and big-ticket items, the platform is witnessing deeper integration into consumer spending habits. Total transactions rallied 52.2% year over year in the first quarter on the back of a significant surge in repeat customer transactions, which resulted in 33.6% growth in total revenues.
However, the path to a stronger fiscal 2026 has its hurdles, such as higher funding costs, evolving BNPL regulations and changes in consumer borrowing behavior. If the company can keep up its momentum in attracting and retaining active shoppers, it could survive fiscal 2026 with stronger demand visibility and a more robust business model.
How Are Competitors Faring?
Some of AFRM’s competitors in the BNPL space are Klarna Group plc (KLAR - Free Report) and PayPal Holdings, Inc. (PYPL - Free Report) .
Klarna’s broader ecosystem also continues gaining momentum, supported by 114 million global active users, which rose 32% year over year in the third quarter of 2025 and 3.4 million daily transactions. KLAR’s total revenues rose 26% year over year in the same quarter.
PayPal reported 438 million active accounts in the third quarter of 2025, which rose 1% year over year. Its net revenues increased 7% year over year to $8.4 billion in the same quarter. Additionally, PayPal’s total payment volume increased 8% year over year in the third quarter of 2025.
Affirm’s Price Performance, Valuation & Estimates
In the year-to-date period, AFRM’s shares gained 11.8% compared with the industry’s rise of 10.2%.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
From a valuation standpoint, AFRM trades at a forward price-to-sales ratio of 5.03, above the industry average of 4.98. AFRM carries a Value Score of D.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Affirm’s fiscal 2026 earnings implies 566.7% growth from the year-ago period. The consensus mark for fiscal 2026 revenues indicates 26% year-over-year growth.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Affirm currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.