Q1 Consumer Finance Earnings: Sallie Mae (NASDAQ:SLM) Impresses

Nelnet reported revenues of $353.2 million, down 7.1% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 20.4%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ net interest income and revenue estimates.

Nelnet delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates in the group. As expected, the stock is down 6.6% since the results and currently trades at $132.08.

Read our full analysis of Nelnet’s results here.

Nubank (NYSE:NU)

With well over one hundred million customers across Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia through its viral member-get-member referral program, Nubank (NYSE:NU) is a digital banking platform that offers financial services including spending, saving, investing, borrowing, and protection products to millions of customers across Latin America.

Nubank reported revenues of $3.70 billion, up 46.1% year on year. This result beat analysts’ expectations by 3.6%. Zooming out, it was a mixed quarter as it also produced a solid beat of analysts’ revenue estimates but a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates.

The stock is flat since reporting and currently trades at $12.97.

Read our full, actionable report on Nubank here, it’s free.

FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS)

Offering a financial lifeline to the unbanked and credit-constrained since 1988, FirstCash (NASDAQ:FCFS) operates pawn stores across the U.S. and Latin America while also providing retail point-of-sale payment solutions for credit-constrained consumers.

FirstCash reported revenues of $1.05 billion, up 25.7% year on year. This print topped analysts’ expectations by 4.8%. Overall, it was an exceptional quarter as it also logged an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates and a solid beat of analysts’ revenue estimates.

The stock is up 9.3% since reporting and currently trades at $232.04.

Read our full, actionable report on FirstCash here, it’s free.

Market Update

Late in 2025 into early 2026, there was hand wringing around artificial intelligence. For software companies, the fear was that AI would erode pricing power and compress margins as new tools made it easier to replicate what once required expensive enterprise platforms. Crypto investors had their own version of the same anxiety: if AI agents could trade, allocate capital, and manage wallets autonomously, what exactly was the long-term value of today’s crypto infrastructure?

These concerns triggered a noticeable rotation away from these sectors and into safer havens. But markets rarely dwell on one narrative for long. Spring 2026 came, and the focus shifted abruptly from technological disruption to geopolitical risk. The US’ conflict with Iran became the dominant driver of market psychology, and when geopolitics takes center stage, the script changes quickly. Investors stop debating growth rates and start worrying about oil supply, inflation, and global stability.

Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our 9 Best Market-Beating Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate.

StockStory’s analyst team — all seasoned professional investors — uses quantitative analysis and automation to deliver market-beating insights faster and with higher quality.