AFRM vs. COF: Affirm vs. Capital One Financial Stock Comparison
How do Affirm (AFRM) and Capital One Financial (COF) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.
Company Profile
Affirm (AFRM) and Capital One Financial (COF) both fall under the Financial Services industry group, but AFRM is classified in Financial Services while COF is classified in Consumer Finance.
Capital One Financial (COF) has more than two decades of public-market history since November 16, 1994, whereas Affirm (AFRM) listed on January 13, 2021 and has a much shorter record to draw on.
| Profile Item | AFRM | COF |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Affirm Holdings, Inc. | Capital One Financial Corp. |
| Country/Region | United States | United States |
| GICS Sector | Financials | Financials |
| GICS Industry Group | Financial Services | Financial Services |
| GICS Industry | Financial Services | Consumer Finance |
| GICS Sub-Industry | Transaction & Payment Processing Services | Consumer Finance |
| Market Capitalization | 23.09 billion USD | 121.43 billion USD |
| Currency | USD | USD |
| Exchange | Nasdaq | NYSE |
| Listing Date | January 13, 2021 | November 16, 1994 |
| Security Type | Common Stock | Common Stock |
Price Performance
Cumulative Growth
Trailing Returns
Calendar-Year Returns
Performance Metrics
| Metric | AFRM | COF |
|---|---|---|
| Total Return (1Y) | -6.89% | -5.89% |
| Total Return (3Y, Annualized) | 40.23% | 26.49% |
| Total Return (5Y, Annualized) | -15.36% | 7.24% |
Risk Profile
Drawdown History
Return Distribution
Risk Metrics
Affirm (AFRM) carries a highly aggressive beta of 3.70, indicating much higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, whereas Capital One Financial (COF) is closer to market-like at 1.09 — a noticeable difference in market-sensitivity profile.
| Metric | AFRM | COF |
|---|---|---|
| Volatility (1Y, Annualized) | 58.20% | 31.21% |
| Beta (5Y) | 3.70 | 1.09 |
| Max Drawdown (5Y) | -94.35% | -45.56% |
| Avg. Volume (3M) | 4.46M | 3.66M |
Risk-Adjusted Performance
Risk-Return Positioning
Risk-Adjusted Metrics
| Metric | AFRM | COF |
|---|---|---|
| Sharpe Ratio (1Y) | -0.19 | -0.33 |
| Sortino Ratio (1Y) | -0.28 | -0.43 |
Profitability
ROE (TTM)
Affirm (AFRM) at 44.49% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Capital One Financial (COF) at 9.39% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for AFRM.
AFRM
Financial Services industry group
44.49%
- Max
- 44.78%
- AFRM
- 44.49%
- Q3
- 21.85%
- Median
- 12.91%
- Q1
- 4.48%
- Min
- -18.71%
COF
Financial Services industry group
9.39%
- Max
- 44.78%
- Q3
- 21.85%
- Median
- 12.91%
- COF
- 9.39%
- Q1
- 4.48%
- Min
- -18.71%
Net Margin (TTM)
Affirm (AFRM) at 43.86% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Capital One Financial (COF) at 22.23%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.
AFRM
Financial Services industry group
43.86%
- Max
- 62.84%
- AFRM
- 43.86%
- Q3
- 28.05%
- Median
- 15.36%
- Q1
- 4.82%
- Min
- -28.52%
COF
Financial Services industry group
22.23%
- Max
- 62.84%
- Q3
- 28.05%
- COF
- 22.23%
- Median
- 15.36%
- Q1
- 4.82%
- Min
- -28.52%
Operating Margin (TTM)
Both Affirm (AFRM) at 14.82% and Capital One Financial (COF) at 37.83% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.
AFRM
Financial Services industry group
14.82%
- Max
- 107.33%
- Q3
- 55.90%
- Median
- 30.09%
- AFRM
- 14.82%
- Q1
- 14.60%
- Min
- -44.34%
COF
Financial Services industry group
37.83%
- Max
- 107.33%
- Q3
- 55.90%
- COF
- 37.83%
- Median
- 30.09%
- Q1
- 14.60%
- Min
- -44.34%
Profitability Metrics
| Metric | AFRM | COF |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM) | 44.49% | 9.39% |
| ROA (TTM) | 2.42% | 1.57% |
| Net Margin (TTM) | 43.86% | 22.23% |
| Operating Margin (TTM) | 14.82% | 37.83% |
| Gross Margin (TTM) | -- | -- |
Growth
Revenue Growth
Both Affirm (AFRM) at 32.15% and Capital One Financial (COF) at 36.62% sit in the top peer quartile for revenue growth, so each is growing its top line faster than typical industry peers.
EPS Growth
Affirm (AFRM) at 3,586.67% delivers above-range EPS growth, while Capital One Financial (COF) at -65.23% falls into the bottom quartile — a wide split in earnings momentum.
Growth Metrics
| Metric | AFRM | COF |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth (YoY) | 32.15% | 36.62% |
| Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR) | 38.96% | 15.98% |
| EPS Growth (YoY) | 3,586.67% | -65.23% |
| EPS Growth (3Y CAGR) | -- | -39.18% |
Financial Strength
Current Ratio (MRQ)
current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: Affirm (AFRM) in Financial Services and Capital One Financial (COF) in Financial Services both report balance sheets without a current/non-current split, so their short-term liquidity is better judged through regulatory and funding measures.
Debt / Equity (MRQ)
debt-to-equity ratio is set aside for both: Affirm (AFRM) in Financial Services and Capital One Financial (COF) in Financial Services run businesses where balance-sheet leverage is part of the model, so capital-adequacy and funding measures are the better gauges of balance-sheet risk.
Financial Strength Metrics
| Metric | AFRM | COF |
|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio (MRQ) | -- | -- |
| Debt / Equity (MRQ) | -- | -- |
| Net Debt / EBITDA | -- | -- |
Dividends
Dividend Yield (TTM)
Affirm (AFRM) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Capital One Financial (COF) reports a yield of 1.57%, ranking against industry peers normally.
AFRM
Financial Services industry group
0.00%
- Max
- 9.77%
- Q3
- 3.92%
- Median
- 1.09%
- AFRM
- 0.00%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
COF
Financial Services industry group
1.57%
- Max
- 9.77%
- Q3
- 3.92%
- COF
- 1.57%
- Median
- 1.09%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)
Affirm (AFRM) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Capital One Financial (COF) reports a payout of 19.61%, ranking against industry peers normally.
AFRM
Financial Services industry group
0.00%
- Max
- 241.07%
- Q3
- 97.36%
- Median
- 25.77%
- AFRM
- 0.00%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
COF
Financial Services industry group
19.61%
- Max
- 241.07%
- Q3
- 97.36%
- Median
- 25.77%
- COF
- 19.61%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
Dividend Metrics
| Metric | AFRM | COF |
|---|---|---|
| Dividend Yield (TTM) | 0.00% | 1.57% |
| Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM) | 0.00% | 19.61% |
Valuation
P/E Ratio (TTM)
Both Affirm (AFRM) at 11.80 and Capital One Financial (COF) at 12.37 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.
AFRM
Financial Services industry group
11.80
- Max
- 45.85
- Q3
- 24.64
- Median
- 15.37
- AFRM
- 11.80
- Q1
- 9.68
- Min
- 0.16
COF
Financial Services industry group
12.37
- Max
- 45.85
- Q3
- 24.64
- Median
- 15.37
- COF
- 12.37
- Q1
- 9.68
- Min
- 0.16
P/S Ratio (TTM)
Capital One Financial (COF) at 2.48 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Affirm (AFRM) at 5.03 sits in the pricier quartile — AFRM costs more per dollar of sales.
AFRM
Financial Services industry group
5.03
- Max
- 9.23
- AFRM
- 5.03
- Q3
- 4.57
- Median
- 2.72
- Q1
- 1.28
- Min
- -0.55
COF
Financial Services industry group
2.48
- Max
- 9.23
- Q3
- 4.57
- Median
- 2.72
- COF
- 2.48
- Q1
- 1.28
- Min
- -0.55
P/B Ratio (MRQ)
Capital One Financial (COF) at 1.15 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Affirm (AFRM) at 4.01 carries an above-peer premium to book — AFRM is pricier on assets.
AFRM
Financial Services industry group
4.01
- Max
- 7.79
- AFRM
- 4.01
- Q3
- 3.63
- Median
- 1.57
- Q1
- 0.81
- Min
- -0.39
COF
Financial Services industry group
1.15
- Max
- 7.79
- Q3
- 3.63
- Median
- 1.57
- COF
- 1.15
- Q1
- 0.81
- Min
- -0.39
Valuation Metrics
| Metric | AFRM | COF |
|---|---|---|
| P/E Ratio (TTM) | 11.80 | 12.37 |
| P/S Ratio (TTM) | 5.03 | 2.48 |
| P/B Ratio (MRQ) | 4.01 | 1.15 |
| Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM) | -- | -- |