SoFi

Shares of SoFi Technologies (SOFI -0.24%) have been on an unbelievable run. During the past year, they have soared 166% (as of Oct. 17). The tech heavy Nasdaq Composite is up 24% during the same period.

SoFi has been putting up strong financial results. And the market has noticed, viewing the business in a much more optimistic light.

This fintech stock is now trading not far from record territory, so investors might think it’s too late to put some money to work. But that’s a flawed perspective. Here’s one reason now is a great time to buy SoFi.

SoFi should benefit as rates start to come down

Last month, the Federal Reserve lowered its benchmark fed funds rate. This was the first reduction since December 2024.

Market watchers have been waiting for such a move, as the central bank aims to boost the labor market. Investors expect the Fed will lower the rate two more times before the year is over.

Generally speaking, lower interest rates are good for the economy. They can drive consumer spending and business investment since it becomes cheaper to borrow capital. Consequently, a bank like SoFi can benefit greatly.

It is already growing rapidly. During the second quarter, its revenue surged 43%, with the business adding 846,000 net new customers. Despite a prolonged period of above-average interest rates, SoFi has still been expanding at a brisk pace. The potential for lower interest rates can supercharge that growth.

In the second quarter, the bank originated $8.8 billion worth of loans (combined among personal, student, and home). That figure was up 64% year over year. Besides interest income, the business collects fees for originations. And lower interest rates, unsurprisingly, can jump-start loan originations, which have already been growing at a fantastic clip.

This same situation can help the banking industry as a whole. On the flip side, though, investors need to pay attention to risks. Lower interest rates might spur demand from borrowers to take out loans. However, this can increase default risk on a lender’s balance sheet.

To its credit, SoFi has done a good job targeting a more affluent demographic. For instance, the company’s personal-loan borrowers have a weighted-average income of $161,000 and a weighted-average Fair Isaac FICO score of 743. They should be better able to make their loan payments.

“The health of our consumer remains strong, and we’re not seeing any signs of weakness,” Chief Financial Officer Chris Lapointe said during the second-quarter earnings call.

The business is poised to continue growing its profits

A reduction in interest rates can not only help SoFi generate more revenue, but it can also increase the company’s profits. It first became profitable on the basis of generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) in the fourth quarter of 2023. Since then, the bottom line has expanded in an impressive fashion.

In 2024, SoFi reported $227 million in adjusted net income; management expects the company will post $370 million in 2025. And Wall Street analysts on average anticipate earnings per share will increase 77% in 2026 and 36% in 2027.

This is a very exciting outlook for shareholders. It highlights that SoFi operates with a very scalable business model, which is helped by the fact that it doesn’t carry the overhead of physical bank branches. It would make sense that SoFi’s earnings would grow at a faster clip than the top line.

And that can continue driving the stock higher. Value investors might hesitate, with the shares trading at a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 47. However, don’t ignore the incredible trajectory that SoFi is on. It’s easy to be confident that the stock will do well over the long run given a more accommodative interest-rate environment that can push profits up.

Sitting in a chair on Thursday night as fans came into SoFi Stadium to watch high school football games between Loyola and Gardena Serra and Leuzinger against Palos Verdes, you can hear the different reactions of first-time visitors as they climbed escalators and stairs to reach their seats.

Many were in awe.

“This is nice.”

“Wow. This stadium is so different.”

“I can’t believe I paid $80 for a high school game.”

The games have been put together by Playbook Events. Teams have to give up revenue they would make from hosting their own games. Parking costs $10 while student and adult tickets range from $29 to $71. Usual student tickets are $10 at home sites.

It’s clear players enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime experience to play in a prestigious NFL stadium that will host the swimming competition at the 2028 Olympic Games. And first-time visitors who’ve never been able attend a concert or NFL game at SoFi because of cost are truly impressed with the seating and experience.

But there’s also some issues that could enhance the experience. One fan suggested better directions on where to park and how to pay for parking, since only credit cards are accepted, and lots of grandparents are not tech savvy on how to purchase tickets online or which entrance to take to find the parking lot. Schools need to provide more specific instructions. Organizers are also requiring fans to sign a waiver when entering, leading to long lines if you don’t arrive early.

The cost for fans can be prohibitive, which means schools need to take that into account when agreeing to play a game at SoFi. The organizers certainly know what they are doing. Games start on time and security is plentiful and helpful for first-time visitors.

Loyola athletic director Chris O’Donnell said, “For this kind of experience, for both teams, it’s really great. I’d do this again in a second.”

The next big game at SoFi Stadium happens Thursday at 5 p.m. when unbeaten Los Alamitos plays Huntington Beach Edison.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email [email protected].

If Loyola football coach Drew Casani could give out game balls after his team’s 13-10 Mission League win over Gardena Serra at SoFi Stadium on Thursday night, he’d need to go to a sporting goods store to find enough to hand out. There were so many contributors.

There was kicker/punter Jacob Kreinbring making field goals from 44 and 35 yards despite narrower NFL goal posts. He also had a punt downed at the one-yard line.

There was linebacker Kane Casani, who blocked a field goal that led to a long touchdown return by sophomore Malique Pollard.

There was linebacker Holden Smyser and defensive linemen Max Meier and Will Mack, all of whom helped the defense stop Serra three out of four times on fourth downs in the fourth quarter.

Remember that Loyola (4-3, 1-1) lost a group of players who abandoned the program in the offseason, leaving behind players who drew skepticism whether they would be competitive against top teams.

It’s that Loyola tradition of playing as a group that allowed the Cubs to beat a Serra team that continues to struggle on offense. Serra (3-4, 0-2) fell behind 10-0, then tied the game on a DeVohn Moutra Jr. safety, followed by a touchdown run and two-point conversion from sophomore quarterback Malik Tunai.

“Man, this feels great,” said Kane Casani, who’s the son of the head coach. “A lot of people doubted us. We came together as a brotherhood.”

Loyola broke the tie with 4:14 left in the third quarter on Kreinbring’s 35-yard field goal.

One of two trained hawks stolen from outside SoFi Stadium during a Rams game was recovered Sunday in Hacienda Heights, nearly 25 miles from where the vehicle taken during the heist was found a week ago.

A two-seat motorized cart with a key left in the ignition was stolen Sept. 28 from the stadium. The hawks — named Bubba and Alice — were housed in green containers in the back seat and vanished along with the vehicle.

Bubba was recovered near Seventh Street in Hacienda Heights after a homeowner spotted the hawk in her backyard and contacted the Inglewood Police Department. Falconer Charles Cogger, who trained and owned the hawks, raced to the location.

“I made arrangements, got over there as quick as I could and got Bubba back,” Cogger told NBC Los Angeles. “Alice is still out there, but this gives me hope she will show up.”

The hawks were employed by SoFi Stadium to deter other birds from flying over SoFi Stadium during the game, keeping fans safe from unpleasant aerial droppings and also keeping birds from eating discarded food.

The Harris’s hawks, also known as bay-winged hawks, are large, lanky raptors that breed in the southwestern U.S. and throughout South America. They have vision eight times better than that of humans and are known for hunting together as a team.

The Kawasaki Mule UTV that housed the hawks was found abandoned Sept. 29 in a South L.A. neighborhood about five miles from SoFi Stadium and 25 miles from Hacienda Heights.

Inglewood police released a photo of the suspect taken by stadium security cameras, describing him as a male adult “wearing a black jacket with a white stripe going down the shoulder, black pants and black shoes.”

Cogger is holding out hope that Alice will turn up. Each of Cogger’s hawks wears a metal band around its leg that identifies it as captive-bred.

“They can only go so long without eating or getting water,” he said.

Anyone with information about Alice can contact the Inglewood Police Department watch commander at (310) 412-5206. Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for the hawk’s safe return.

Any Rams fans whose attention was diverted Sunday at SoFi Stadium by an aerial assault of bird droppings should know whom to blame.

Not the birds. They were just doing what they do (do).

Blame the thief who stole two trained hawks tasked with keeping the skies above the stadium free of other birds, so that the only airborne objects would be tight spirals off the right hand of Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford.

But the hawks — who have names: Alice and Bubba — were stolen at 2:22 p.m. by a suspect the Inglewood Police Department described as a “male Black adult wearing a black jacket with a white stripe going down the shoulder, black pants and black shoes.”

Police said the key was left in the ignition of the Kawasaki Mule UTV that housed the hawks. The thief drove off with the maroon two-seater and hadn’t been caught as of Tuesday morning. The vehicle was last seen in the Village at Century shopping area in Inglewood.

“Affixed to the bed of the UTV were two Harris’s Hawks … housed in green containers,” the police said. “These Hawks are used during the games by a Falconer in order to deter other birds in the area.”

The falconer is Redlands police officer Charles Cogger. The trained birds are Harris’s hawks, also known as the bay-winged hawk, large and lanky raptors that breed from the southwestern United States and throughout South America. They are known for hunting together as a team with vision eight times better than that of humans.

It’s a shame Alice and Bubba weren’t there to see the gorgeous 88-yard touchdown pass from Stafford to Tutu Atwell in the fourth quarter that gave the Rams a 27-20 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

Sean McVay good naturedly put it on his late grandfather.

As a team executive, John McVay helped the San Francisco 49ers win five Super Bowl titles, excellence that created 49ers fans everywhere.

So when the Rams play the 49ers on Thursday night at SoFi Stadium, McVay fully expects the usual massive contingent of 49ers fans.

“They obviously have a great fan base,” Sean McVay said Monday during a videoconference with reporters before deadpanning. “I blame my grandpa for that.”

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Gary Klein breaks down what went right for the Rams in their stunning comeback win over the Indianapolis Colts at SoFi Stadium on Sunday.

McVay could also blame former team ownership, which moved the Rams from Los Angeles to St. Louis after the 1994 season. That left Southern California without the Rams for more than two decades before they returned in 2016.

The departure to St. Louis created untold numbers of Southern California NFL fans who embraced the 49ers, the Los Angeles/Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders, the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers among other teams.

McVay, however, said he was “hopeful and optimistic” that the Rams on Thursday will feel the same vibes they got in their season-opening victory over the Houston Texans and on Sunday in their 27-20 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

“I’ve loved the home atmospheres we’ve had this year,” McVay said, adding, “I certainly felt our crowd. I thought it was an advantage and an edge to us. And I’m looking forward to seeing as many Rams fans come out and support us.”

The Rams’ victory over the Colts improved their record to 3-1 heading into the NFC West opener against the 49ers (3-1), who are coming off a 26-21 defeat by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The 49ers are in first place in the division, with victories over the Seattle Seahawks (3-1) and the Arizona Cardinals (2-2).

“We got the benefit of them coming to our house,” defensive lineman Braden Fiske said. “We feel good about it. It’s going to be a battle for the division.”

The 49ers started 3-0 despite the absence at times of key players such as quarterback Brock Purdy, star tight end George Kittle and star defensive end Nick Bosa among others.

Purdy, who signed a $182.5-million extension before the season, is dealing with a toe issue and his status for Thursday night’s game will be determined. Kittle remains on injured reserve for at least one more game and Bosa is out for the season.

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey carries the ball against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 28.

(Godofredo A. Vásquez / Associated Press)

But the 49ers still have running back Christian McCaffrey and linebacker Fred Warner leading the way for coach Kyle Shanahan’s team.

Last season, the Rams defeated the 49ers at SoFi Stadium, 27-24, on a last-second field goal by Joshua Karty.

After the victory over the Colts, Rams edge rusher Jared Verse noted fans’ spirited reaction when the 49ers-Jaguars score flashed on the video screen, with the 49ers trailing.

“That’s just what it means,” Verse said of playing against the 49ers. “It means a little bit more.”

Etc.

The Rams suffered no obvious significant injuries against the Colts, McVay said, but added that players would be evaluated. … McVay said he was “not sure” whether offensive lineman Steve Avila (ankle) would be ready to play Thursday. Avila has been sidelined for three games. Justin Dedich has started in Avila’s place at left guard.

SoFi Technologies (SOFI -0.45%) has faced plenty of sceptics since going public in 2021. Many investors viewed it as a niche player in student loan refinancing, doubting it could ever achieve profitability.

Fast-forward to today, and SoFi not only generates consistent profits, it’s expanding into new areas that have the market buzzing. Shares recently surged to fresh highs, putting the company squarely in the fintech spotlight.

Here are three reasons why everyone is talking about SoFi right now — and what investors should keep in mind before following the crowd into buying the stock.

Image source: Getty Images.

A different kind of bank

SoFi isn’t your typical bank. While most financial institutions make money through a patchwork of branches, tellers, and specialized divisions, SoFi operates as a digital-first platform. Its pitch is simple: Manage your entire financial life in one app.

That means you can open a checking account, refinance a loan, trade stocks or crypto, and even buy into new exchange-traded funds (ETFs) — all in one account. The company’s strategy is to cross-sell as many products as possible to each customer, increasing engagement and lowering churn.

This integrated approach matters. Traditional banks often specialize in one area — say, deposits and mortgages — while a brokerage focuses on investing. By integrating everything into a single ecosystem, SoFi increases switching costs and fosters long-term customer loyalty.

Financials are finally clicking

For years, critics argued that SoFi could attract users but not profits. And they were right, at least until 2023.

But that narrative is shifting as Sofi has delivered two consecutive years of positive adjusted net income and continues to do so in 2025. In the second quarter of 2025, adjusted net revenue rose 44% year over year to $858 million. Adjusted net income surged 459% to $97 million. The solid performance is a result of a record high in new members, new products, and an increase in fee-based revenue.

Membership growth was equally impressive. SoFi added 846,000 new members in Q2 2025, pushing its base to 11.7 million — more than double what it had three years ago. Crucially, the mix of revenue is changing. Fee-based revenue contributed 44% of total revenue, indicating the company has expanded beyond its student loan financing roots.

Even its lending portfolio has performed well of late as the company originated a record $8.8 billion in loans in the quarter, while bad debt charge-off has largely been declining over the last few quarters. Expectations for lower interest rates could also further boost lending volumes and profitability in the coming quarters.

Beyond banking

SoFi could easily stop at being a profitable digital bank. Instead, management is pushing into new frontiers. The company will restart its crypto service this year, enabling members to trade Bitcoin and Ethereum. While volatile, crypto broadens SoFi’s appeal among younger and more tech-savvy users.

It also launched new investment products, like the SoFi Agentic AI ETF, designed to capture investor interest in artificial intelligence. Beyond ETFs, SoFi is expanding into private market funds, giving retail investors access to opportunities once reserved for institutions.

These moves highlight SoFi’s ambition to build a full-spectrum financial platform. But they also come with risk. Each market brings established competitors — from Robinhood Markets in trading, to BlackRock in asset management, to Coinbase Global in crypto. Execution and regulatory oversight will be ongoing challenges that investors should track.

What does it mean for investors?

SoFi is no longer just a one-dimensional fintech tied to student loans. It’s becoming a diversified platform with real profitability and a broad set of growth levers. That’s why the stock is getting so much attention right now.

Still, investors should recognize the risks. Valuations already incorporate optimism — as of this writing, the stock trades at a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 62 times — and SoFi must prove it can balance banking, investing, and emerging areas like crypto without losing focus.

For growth investors, the pitch is straightforward. If SoFi can scale its ecosystem while executing on new growth bets, it has the potential to be a defining financial company of this generation.

Either way, it’s worth keeping the stock on watch.

SoFi Technologies (SOFI 0.02%) is attracting lots of investor attention these days, and understandably so. Its stock up more than 160% from its April low, and higher to the tune of 260% for the past year. That’s huge.

But is it actually the buy the crowd seems to think it is? Yes. And no.

Here’s some food for thought if this ticker’s made its way onto your radar but not yet made its way into your portfolio.

What’s SoFi Technologies?

SoFi is an online bank, except it’s only an online bank; it doesn’t operate any brick-and-mortar branches. That doesn’t mean it can’t offer everything a traditional bank does, though. Checking and savings accounts, investment services, loans, insurance, and credit cards are all in its repertoire.

It’s no mere experiment either. The $30 billion company serves more than 11.7 million customers and boasts $36.3 billion in assets. And of last quarter’s revenue of $855 million (a fairly typical quarter), nearly $98 million of that was turned into net income.

Image source: Getty Images.

Of all these numbers, however, the most impressive is SoFi’s current customer headcount.

While its 11.7 million members pales in comparison to the customer bases of Wells Fargo and Bank of America, it’s incredible for a bank that’s only been chartered since January of 2022. Making this customer count figure even more impressive is the fact that it’s grown every single quarter since the first quarter of 2020, when it was still more of a fintech middleman with a limited number of offerings. In fact, on an absolute basis SoFi’s customer growth is still accelerating rather than slowing down, with last quarter’s year-over-year member growth of 34% carrying its customer count to yet another record-breaking figure of 11.7 million.

The new norm

The company is of course plugged into the massive shift in the way most consumers live their lives. That’s online, and in particular, through their favorite connected device — their smartphone.

A survey commissioned by the American Bankers Association late last year tells the tale. Of the 4,508 adults questioned, only 8% said in-branch visits were their preferred way of handling banking business, while only 4% named telephone calls as their top means of taking care of any banking matters. At the other end of the scale, 22% of respondents reported they were managing their bank accounts using a laptop or PC, while a whopping 55% of these consumers said a mobile app was their favorite banking tool. And it should come as no real surprise that younger people were far more likely than older customers to utilize their digital options.

SoFi’s growth simply reflects this new norm, which of course corresponds with the ongoing aging of digitally native consumers.

More of the same is in the cards too. Market research outfit Technavio believes the worldwide digital banking business is set to grow at an average annualized pace of more than 16% through 2029. The U.S. market that SoFi Technologies serves is expected to see the most growth during this stretch. For its part, analysts believe SoFi’s top and bottom lines will nearly double between last year and 2027.

Data source: StockAnalysis.com, SimplyWallSt.com, Marketwatch. Chart by author.

The kicker: At least some of this future growth will be driven by the company’s foray into business lines beyond basic banking. In July, for instance, the bank offered access to an expanded lineup of private investments, and earlier this month launched another of its own sponsored exchange-traded funds — the SoFi Agentic AI ETF (AGIQ 0.26%). This willingness to establish new profit centers underscores the idea that the company is casting an ever-widening net.

Right stock, wrong time

So it’s a buy? Not so fast.

There’s never a bad time to buy a good stock, to be clear. But there are certainly better times than others. Right now arguably isn’t the best time to buy this one.

The issue is the sheer scope of SoFi stock’s run-up just since the middle of last year. While its bullishness is understandable, it’s also too much, too fast. Shares have more than doubled in value in just a little over a year, pushing them to a recently reached record that’s more than 20% above the analyst community’s current consensus price target of $20.72.

The stock’s valuation of nearly 50 times next year’s expected per-share earnings of $0.52 is also steep for any stock, but it’s particularly rich for a bank — even one growing as quickly as SoFi Technologies. So interested investors might want to wait for a pullback before plowing in. The good news is, we’ve frequently seen lulls from this ticker before.

Just don’t get too picky if you want to buy in. It’s unlikely you’ll see what you might consider a great price for this stock anytime soon; any modest lull may be all you’re going to get. The growth here is just too strong and the company’s story is too compelling to expect any major pullback from the stock.

A bloodied female and her male companion were escorted out of SoFi Stadium during the fourth quarter of the Rams season opener Sunday along with two other spectators who had engaged in the same violent altercation.

The woman and her companion were wearing jerseys of the Houston Texans, who the Rams defeated 14-9. Video clips on social media showed her face covered with blood when security guards led her from Section 428 high above the end zone.

The incident appeared to begin with words and shoving between the woman in the No. 99 jersey of retired Texans legend JJ Watt and a woman wearing a Rams jersey. The altercation escalated, with the man wearing the No. 7 jersey of Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud pouring a cup of beer on the head of the woman in the Rams jersey.

Two men in Rams jerseys one row above the brawl stood and began shoving and grabbing the two Texans fans until security personnel arrived about two minutes into the incident.

The two men from the row above removed their jerseys — one of former Rams great Aaron Donald and the other of Rams receiver Puka Nacua — but additional security personnel arrived, handcuffed both men and escorted them away.

SoFi Stadium, which opened in 2020, has been plagued by brawls. Oakland chef Daniel Luna was in a medically induced coma for weeks after Los Angeles County Fire Department paramedics discovered him lying on the ground in the stadium’s Lot L during the NFC Championship Game between the Rams and San Francisco 49ers.

It took three days and an inquiry from The Times before Inglewood authorities acknowledged the incident. Bryan Alexis Cifuentes, 33, was charged with one felony count of battery with serious bodily injury after video showed that he dropped Luna with one punch. Cifuentes pleaded not guilty and investigators determined that Luna started the altercation when he shoved Cifuentes.

Luna sued the Rams and L.A. County, claiming that because he was drunk deputies should have put him in a form of protective custody after he was denied entrance to the stadium because he didn’t have a ticket.

The suit was dismissed by Inglewood Superior Court Judge Ronald F. Frank, who wrote that “the Sheriff’s Department did not create the peril in which plaintiff found himself. [Luna] alleges that he was already inebriated when he was detained initially. The sheriffs took no affirmative action which contributed to, increased, or changed the risk which would have otherwise existed.”

At least four fights have broken out at Chargers games at SoFi Stadium. The most recent was a brawl in a game against the Raiders in September 2024. A video provided to KTLA shows showed a group of Chargers fans fighting a shirtless man.

Moments before the Chargers and Dallas Cowboys squared off at SoFi in 2023, the teams scuffled at midfield after several Cowboys ran through the Chargers’ defensive backs as they were conducting pregame drills.

Several fights broke out off the field during the game, including one on a concourse exit that involved a dozen or more fans. No fans were arrested, according to the Inglewood Police Department.

After a game between the Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs in November 2022, a man was thrown over a railing. A person who recorded a video of the incident told KABC-TV Channel 7 that the fight began after one man bumped into another. A third man tried to intervene and was thrown over the railing onto the concrete steps below.

A 2022 poll of more than 3,000 fans by Sportsbook Review concluded that many NFL stadiums are more violent than SoFi Stadium and that fans generally feel safe attending games at the venue.

Crimes in and around stadiums occur all too often, with 39.2% of poll respondents reporting having witnessed or fallen victim to at least one crime in or outside a stadium. Only 5.4% of fans had witnessed a crime at SoFi, and only one of those polled said they had been a victim of a crime while attending a Rams or Chargers home game.

Sportsbook Review updated its rankings last week, with SoFi moving up from the 15th to the 11th most dangerous NFL stadium. M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Baltimore Ravens, is ranked as the most dangerous; Highmark Stadium, home of the Buffalo Bills, is ranked as the safest.