Latest news with #QFIN
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
QFIN Vs BYRN: Which Niche Tech Stock Belongs in Your Portfolio?
Both Qifu Technology, Inc. QFIN and Byrna Technologies Inc. BYRN are lesser-known tech companies. While QFIN is a Chinese AI-driven consumer finance company, BYRN operates in the non-lethal self-defense technology sector, offering innovations and high growth potential. Despite their obscurity, these companies cater to a significantly tech-savvy user base. The comparative analysis of these two companies could benefit investors interested in low-profile tech stocks. QFIN relies on technological advancements to power its risk management practices. The company's AI + Finance strategy is changing the whole dynamic of credit services. In the first quarter of 2025, QFIN reported 15.8% year-over-year growth in loan origination, and its registered user base increased 11.1%. This improvement is led by the company's industry-first Intelligent Agent for Core Credit Business — a system of smart modules that streamline operations, improve risk management and create bespoke financial services. The company utilizes AI models to evaluate vast datasets to identify creditworthy individuals and small and medium enterprises, expanding its customer base while reducing defaults. Qifu Technology has improved its risk metrics by upgrading application and collection scorecards with AI, including LLMs, for real-time user communication data analysis and refinement of partner management. AI and big data are huge parts of QFIN's user acquisition strategy. The company's AI-led marketing strategy has improved its user profiling accuracy across channels, with a conversion rate of new credit line users to new borrowers growing 33% from the year-ago quarter in the first quarter of 2025. Finally, Qifu Technologyutilizes intelligent credit engine technology to operate a light capital model, contributing to its profitability and scalability. BYRN's technological advancements contribute to enhancing its product performance and appeal. The company's patented 'first-shot, pull-pierce' technology ensures that the Byrna launcher is ready to use all the time, addressing major drawbacks of other CO2-led devices. Reliability as such is a massive selling point for personal safety, making the product more appealing to customers and law enforcement, improving brand trust. Byrna Technologies' blunt impact projectile, a patented energy absorption system, is less lethal yet efficient, which is crucial for the company's target markets and sets it apart from competitors. The company employs technology to create designs that are miniature and user-friendly, thereby expanding the market for its products. This strategy enhances accessibility and convenience for a diverse range of users, including those who are uneasy with traditional ammunition. Furthermore, the company is boosting production and is preparing the initiation of its Compact Launcher in mid-2025. Byrna Technologies has augmented launcher production by 33% in the first quarter of 2025, touching 24,000 units per month to meet the increasing market demand and fuel operational expansion. Shifting ammunition production domestically is improving its supply chain and is anticipated to enhance product margins. These technological investments and market initiatives are estimated to drive growth throughout 2025 and in the future, positioning the company for prolonged success. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Byrna Technologies' fiscal 2025 sales is pegged at $111.7 million, suggesting 30.2% year-over-year growth. The consensus estimate for earnings is pegged at 35 cents, indicating a 12.9% rise from the preceding year's actual. Two estimates for fiscal 2025 have moved north in the past 60 days versus no southward revisions. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Qifu Technology's 2025 sales is pegged at $2.6 billion, implying 7.6% year-over-year growth. The consensus estimate for earnings is pegged at $6.94 per share, indicating 22.6% year-over-year growth. One estimate for 2025 has moved north in the past 60 days versus no southward revisions. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research QFIN's forward earnings multiple is 61.74X, lower than its 12-month median of 92.59X. BYRN's 5.83X is slightly lower than its median of 5.84X. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Qifu Technology and Byrna Technologies are impressive tech stocks. While QFIN leverages technology by providing credit access to customers, BYRN utilizes technical advancements to design and manufacture less-lethal personal security solutions. BYRN appears to be a more compelling investment option since the personal security device market holds untapped potential, mainly compared with the fintech market, which is competitive and more mature. Furthermore, BYRN, a fundamentally strong stock, is significantly cheaper than QFIN, making it a more compelling opportunity for growth-focused investors today. Byrna Technologies and Qifu Technology both have a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Qifu Technology, Inc. (QFIN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Byrna Technologies Inc. (BYRN) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research
Entrepreneur
28-05-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
3 Growing Global Stocks You May Not Have Considered
Why international companies like Qifu Technology (QFIN) and more may warrant a second look This story originally appeared on WallStreetZen Hot take: There's nothing inherently superior about being a U.S. listed company. Sure, U.S. stocks are more accessible, and tend to attract more attention — but that doesn't mean that there aren't strong prospects elsewhere in the world. Plus, while American stocks have historically been strong performers, hedging to counteract downturns or the effects of geopolitical developments is never a bad idea. That said, let's take a look at some foreign stocks you may not have considered. I located and researched all of the tickers below using our quant ratings system, Zen Ratings. The system tracks 4600+ stocks — most of them are U.S.-based, but there are still some excellently-rated overseas stocks that could make meaningful additions to your portfolio. 1. Qifu Technology (NASDAQ: QFIN) This company operates in a very specific and very interesting niche — artificial intelligence (AI) credit services. The company currently acts as an intermediary, matching clients with financial institutions. While that does limit revenue, this facilitation-driven model is also asset-light. At present, Qifu Technology is partnered with more than 160 financial institutions — and serves more than 250 million clients in China. While the company initially focused on underserved individuals and small businesses, it has since expanded — and we've seen plenty of examples of how strong domestic operations lead to international success for Chinese ventures. QFIN stock has a Zen Rating of A. At present, it ranks in the top 5% of the equities we track — and stocks with this distinction have historically provided an average annual return of 32.52%. In the last 365 days, QFIN shares have outperformed that mark by a wide margin — with a 112.18% return. The average 12-month price target from Wall Street analysts implies a 23.94% upside. We'll have to dive into the stock's Component Grade ratings to decipher why this surge has occurred — and why it might continue. Value is QFIN's strongest suit — the stock is currently trading at a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of just 6.48x, and a price-to-earnings growth (PEG) ratio of 0.78x. In this regard, the stock ranks in the top 5% of the equities we keep track of. On account of its current uptrend, the stock also ranks in the top 7% in terms of momentum — and despite strong expansion, it maintains a healthy checkbook, clocking in in the top 10% in terms of Financials. QFIN exists at several interesting intersections — the business model isn't particularly beholden to tariffs and trade disputes, it's an early mover, and software-based. At its present valuation, it's a bargain — and provides a simple way to gain exposure to a dynamic and emerging market while reducing the overall risk of your portfolio. Lastly, the business is on a winning streak — it has posted earnings per share (EPS) beats for 4 consecutive quarters, having outperformed consensus expectations by quite a wide margin in each quarterly report. Based in Singapore, Karooooo (NASDAQ: KARO) maintains a comprehensive cloud-based platform that seeks to optimize fleet management, asset tracking, compliance, and last-mile deliveries. KARO shares also have a Zen Rating of A. The stock ranks in the top 4% of equities — but it has flown under Wall Street's radar thus far, as only 1 analyst covers it. KARO is also currently the 11th highest rated stock in the App industry, which has an Industry Rating of A. That's all well and good — but let's get down to the nitty gritty details. A key reason behind such a high rating is the fact that the company has consistently managed to outperform expectations. Karooooo has provided 7 earnings beats in a row — and each time, EPS outperformed consensus estimates by double digits, percentage-wise. Sentiment — which factors in short interest, insider selling, and analyst revisions, is KARO's strongest rating — in this category, it ranks in the 95th percentile of stocks. However, it also earns high marks in terms of Momentum and Artificial Intelligence — as KARO ranks in the top 13% in both of those categories, indicating the presence of a strong uptrend supported by the findings of a neural network trained on more than 20 years of fundamental and technical data. 3. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE: TSM) Our two prior picks were relatively under-the-radar — Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE: TSM) is anything but. An essential lynchpin in the global semiconductor industry, TSM maintains both a technological advantage as well as the benefits of scale. While the company is a perennial subject of geopolitical risks, the markets evidently find future prospects more enticing — TSM shares have seen a 22.21% gain in the past year. At present, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing stock ranks in the top 14% of equities — netting it a Zen Rating of B. Stocks with that distinction have provided an average annual return of 19.88% since the turn of the century. Wall Street analysts are currently projecting an upside of 19.8% for TSM — roughly in line with the expectations for its Zen Rating. While it does operate in a highly capital-intensive industry, TSM has managed to meet or outperform analyst estimates in the last 9 consecutive quarters. A key driver of this continued outperformance is the semiconductor titan's healthy balance sheet — in terms of Financials, TSM ranks in the top 3% of stocks. At its core, this is a sympathy play — while TSM likely won't see the huge surges to the upside characteristic of Nvidia, for example, it remains a key provider with a stable business model that continues to benefit from high demand from dynamic, growing industries. —> If you're interested in more stocks with strong potential, check out this screener What to Do Next?
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Qifu Technology Won the Title of "MOST HONORED COMPANY" for the Second Consecutive Year
SHANGHAI, May 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, Qifu Technology (Nasdaq: QFIN; Hong Kong Stock Exchange: 3660), a leading Chinese fintech company, has secured the title of "Most Honored Company" in the 2025 Extel Asia (ex-Japan) Best Managed Teams rankings, a global leader in corporate governance and investor relations research (formerly associated with Institutional Investor). The company also topped several sub-categories, including "Best CEO" "Best CFO" and "Best Investor Relations Professional", establishing itself as a prominent benchmark in Asia's fintech sector. Qifu's distinction stems from its synergistic integration of cutting-edge AI technology applications, transparent information disclosure, robust corporate governance, and effective capital market communication, forming a unique competitive edge. The Extel Awards, a renowned benchmark for evaluating corporate management in Asia, are voted by 5,437 fund managers and buy-side analysts, alongside 863 sell-side analysts. The evaluation covers core dimensions such as financial disclosure, corporate governance, executive leadership, and ESG strategy. Its predecessor, the Institutional Investor ranking system, has long been a key reference for global capital markets to assess corporate governance capabilities. In its simultaneously released Q1 2025 financial report, Qifu reported sustained growth in business scale and user engagement: Connected 163 financial institution partners Reached 268 million registered users and 58.4 million credit-approved users Facilitated loan origination of RMB 88,883 million, a 15.8% year-over-year increase The growth is attributed to the deep implementation of its "AI + Finance" strategy. The company is developing the industry's first intelligent agent for core credit business, composed of multiple smart modules that have already driven process reengineering and efficiency improvements across operational scenarios. View original content: SOURCE Qifutech Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Qifu Technology Delivers Strong Q1 Results, Citi Hikes Price Target
Qifu Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:QFIN) sentiments have received a significant boost on first-quarter 2025 results coming in better than expected on May 20. The company's financial results affirmed significant growth in user engagement and loan facilitation volumes as it navigated macroeconomic challenges. A financial adviser looking over a portfolio of securities and stocks. China's leading provider of credit tech platforms says it recorded an 11.1% increase in the number of consumers connected by financial institutional partners to 268.2 million. Consequently, the company posted revenue of RMB4,690.7 million (US$646.4 million), an improvement from RMB4,482.3 million in the prior quarter. Net income was RMB1,796.6 million (US$247.6 million), compared to RMB1,912.7 million in the prior quarter. The Chief Executive Officer said first-quarter results were stronger despite ongoing macroeconomic challenges. The better than expected quarterly results came as Qifu Technology increasingly capitalizes on the maturity and efficiency of large language models in the financial sector. In addition, analysts at Citi have reiterated a Buy rating on the stock, and hiked the price target to $58.50 from $55, impressed by the strong Q1 results. While we acknowledge the potential of Qifu Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:QFIN) as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than QFIN and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock. READ NEXT: and . Disclosure: None. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Qifu Technology, Inc. (QFIN) Is a Great Choice for 'Trend' Investors, Here's Why
When it comes to short-term investing or trading, they say "the trend is your friend." And there's no denying that this is the most profitable strategy. But making sure of the sustainability of a trend to profit from it is easier said than done. Often, the direction of a stock's price movement reverses quickly after taking a position in it, making investors incur a short-term capital loss. So, it's important to ensure that there are enough factors -- such as sound fundamentals, positive earnings estimate revisions, etc. -- that could keep the momentum in the stock going. Our "Recent Price Strength" screen, which is created on a unique short-term trading strategy, could be pretty useful in this regard. This predefined screen makes it really easy to shortlist the stocks that have enough fundamental strength to maintain their recent uptrend. Also, the screen passes only the stocks that are trading in the upper portion of their 52-week high-low range, which is usually an indicator of bullishness. There are several stocks that passed through the screen and (QFIN) is one of them. Here are the key reasons why this stock is a solid choice for "trend" investing. A solid price increase over a period of 12 weeks reflects investors' continued willingness to pay more for the potential upside in a stock. QFIN is quite a good fit in this regard, gaining 8.4% over this period. However, it's not enough to look at the price change for around three months, as it doesn't reflect any trend reversal that might have happened in a shorter time frame. It's important for a potential winner to maintain the price trend. A price increase of 14.7% over the past four weeks ensures that the trend is still in place for the stock of this company. Moreover, QFIN is currently trading at 82.3% of its 52-week High-Low Range, hinting that it can be on the verge of a breakout. Looking at the fundamentals, the stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), which means it is in the top 5% of more than the 4,000 stocks that we rank based on trends in earnings estimate revisions and EPS surprises -- the key factors that impact a stock's near-term price movements. The Zacks Rank stock-rating system, which uses four factors related to earnings estimates to classify stocks into five groups, ranging from Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) to Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive externally-audited track record, with Zacks Rank #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>> Another factor that confirms the company's fundamental strength is its Average Broker Recommendation of #1 (Strong Buy). This indicates that the brokerage community is highly optimistic about the stock's near-term price performance. So, the price trend in QFIN may not reverse anytime soon. In addition to QFIN, there are several other stocks that currently pass through our "Recent Price Strength" screen. You may consider investing in them and start looking for the newest stocks that fit these criteria. This is not the only screen that could help you find your next winning stock pick. Based on your personal investing style, you may choose from over 45 Zacks Premium Screens that are strategically created to beat the market. However, keep in mind that the key to a successful stock-picking strategy is to ensure that it produced profitable results in the past. You could easily do that with the help of the Zacks Research Wizard. In addition to allowing you to backtest the effectiveness of your strategy, the program comes loaded with some of our most successful stock-picking strategies. Click here to sign up for a free trial to the Research Wizard today. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Qifu Technology, Inc. (QFIN) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research
