Is DAVE's Fintech Strategy Paying Dividends in User Engagement?

Dave Inc. DAVE ended the first quarter of 2025 with 12.4 million members. The company added 569,000 new members, reflecting 15% year-over-year growth. Additionally, the monthly transacting member base gained 13% year over year and witnessed 3% sequential growth to a record $2.5 million. This metric highlights a deeper user engagement.

A surge in users might entail a higher cost per acquisition and this is true in the case of Dave, given that its marketing expenses increased 13% year over year. During the first quarter of 2025, customer acquisition costs (CAC) rose to $18. While this represents a $2 increase year over year, Dave emphasized the refinements made in its marketing approach that facilitate higher expected variable profit dollar returns rather than just a reduction in the CAC. Therefore, the company’s modus operandi is to acquire high-value users, risking sacrificing its optimal CAC trend.

We can certainly outline Dave’s marketing campaigns to have the most significant impact on user acquisition. A 29% year-over-year increase in average revenue per user and 46% growth in ExtraCash originations suggest successful marketing and a good product-market fit. Jason Wilk, the CEO of Dave, attributed this to the early success of the new fee structure, which improved monetization and conversion rates while maintaining strong member retention.

The new fee structure consists of a flat 5% fee on all ExtraCash transactions with a minimum $5 fee and a $15 cap. What makes this change so effective? The answer is the elimination of optional tips and additional transfer fees to Dave’s checking, making pricing and monetization clearer for users and the company. Hence, we believe this nascent fee structure to have a massive positive impact on user acquisition, which might be sustained over the long term.

How Does DAVE’s User Growth Play Against NU and SOFI?

Although Dave’s user growth is impressive on its own, it fails to beat fintech players Nu NU and SoFi Technologies SOFI. Nu’s customer count increased by an astonishing 4 million during the first quarter of 2025 and in the same period, Sofi Technologies reported 800,000 in customer additions. The disparity in numbers might be alarming. However, one should keep in mind that Nu and Sofi Technologies target a broader market, while Dave caters to a niche customer base.                   

DAVE’s Price Performance, Valuation & Estimates

The stock has skyrocketed 539.9% in the past year, significantly outperforming the industry’s 52.8% growth and the Zacks S&P 500 composite's 12.3% rise.

1-Year Price Performance

From a valuation standpoint, DAVE trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 23.82, below the industry’s 24.34. It carries a Value Score of F.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Dave’s earnings for 2025 has increased by 20.7% over the past 30 days.

DAVE currently flaunts a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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