Buy Now, Pay Later company, Sezzle Inc. ( SEZL ) is hardly on Wall Street’s radar despite posting an impressive 9,998% rally since its public listing just two years ago.
What Happened: On Monday, the Schwab Network’s senior market correspondent, George Tsilis, discussed the overlooked fintech company, highlighting the key reasons for its remarkable 991% gains over the past year, and 222% YTD gains, amid all the turmoil and uncertainties this year.
“This company is actually quite profitable,” he says, referring to its $36.2 million, or $1.00 per share in earnings during its first quarter results a month ago, up from just $0.22 per share the prior year.
Tsilis is impressed with the fact that Sezzle’s been growing its business while staying profitable, before highlighting its impressive “net income margin of around 35%.”
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Tillis points out the firm's unique positioning, not just in the buy now, pay later (BNPL) space, but as a player focused on credit-building services for consumers and small businesses. “They provide customized financing solutions,” he says, "and they help their customers generate credit quality and credit histories to provide them the conduit to financing.”
He added that the company's partnership with WebBank is “increasing the bottom-line operational efficiencies of the business, not to mention the top-line growth estimated in the next four quarters is over 60%.”
According to Tillis, it's this credit-building angle, which involves helping individuals move through the process of establishing credit, that makes Sezzle ( SEZL ) “quite valuable” and positions it as more than just another installment lender.
Even after a nearly 100-bagger move, analysts continue to back the stock, with Oppenheimer initiating coverage with an “Outperform” rating, and a Price Target of $168, representing an upside of 14.73%. Analyst Rayna Kumar cites Sezzle’s behavior-based underwriting as a key advantage, saying that it’s “the moat Affirm and Afterpay don't have.”
Why It Matters: There are, however, certain contrarian views on the company, with Jim Cramer having said recently that “there are a lot of these companies, and that’s kind of the problem,” referring to the intense competition in the BNPL space.
Early this month, Cramer reiterated his stance, stating that the company has “had its day” and that he cannot recommend Sezzle ( SEZL ) “any higher here.”
During its first quarter results last month, Sezzle ( SEZL ) reported $105 million in revenue, up 123% year-over-year, blowing past estimates at the top and bottom lines.
Price Action: Sezzle ( SEZL ) shares were up 9.65% on Monday, trading at $146.43, and are up 0.22% after hours.
According to Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings, Sezzle ( SEZL ) ranks in the 99th percentile on momentum and has a favorable price trend in the short, medium, and long term. Click here to see how it compares with peers and competitors in the burgeoning ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ space.
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