Oportun Financial Corporation (OPRT) Stock News, Jun 2-18, 2025

Findell Capital Partners, a major stockholder of Oportun Financial (NASDAQ: OPRT), has expressed frustration with the company's board resistance to settlement discussions and value creation initiatives. The firm criticizes Oportun for spending significant stockholder money to resist board changes and prevent lending experts from taking leadership positions. Findell specifically points to the controversial removal of former OneMain CFO Scott Parker from the board, which they view as an entrenchment tactic. This criticism comes after CEO Raul Vazquez cited OneMain Financial as a model operator, particularly noting their 50% secured lending portfolio as a target for Oportun. Findell continues to push for corporate governance improvements and urges stockholders to vote for Warren Wilcox using the WHITE proxy card.

Findell Capital Partners, a major stockholder of Oportun Financial (NASDAQ: OPRT), released an investor presentation criticizing the company's Board and management. The presentation highlights CEO Raul Vazquez's leadership failures, resulting in nearly $1.5 billion in stockholder capital destruction and a 76% stock price decline from September 2019 to March 2023. Key issues include increased cost per loan, high net charge-offs, and the questionable $211 million Hello Digit acquisition. Findell notes that after appointing two of their identified directors, the company saw a 61% reduction in OpEx per loan and 206% total stockholder return. The firm proposes removing the 36% interest rate cap and targeting pre-tax ROA of 8-10%, suggesting potential share value of $22 with reduced operating expenses of $325 million by 2026.

Findell Capital Partners, a 7.4% stakeholder in Oportun Financial (OPRT), issued a response letter challenging Oportun's recent statements about its operational improvements. Findell disputes management's claims about proactive cost-cutting, highlighting that operating expenses quadrupled from $162M in 2016 to over $600M in 2022. The firm criticizes Oportun's initial $38M cost reduction plan as insufficient, noting they had advocated for at least $150M in cuts. Findell attributes recent operational improvements, including a 61% reduction in OpEx per loan, to their advocacy and their identified director appointments (Scott Parker and Richard Tambor). The activist investor is now seeking to elect Warren Wilcox to the board at the July 18, 2025 Annual Meeting, aiming to strengthen independent oversight and reduce control by long-tenured directors who have overseen a 55-72% decline in shareholder value.

Oportun's Lead Independent Director Neil Williams issued a letter to stockholders highlighting the Board's proactive measures to enhance shareholder value. The letter emphasizes the company's successful implementation of cost-saving initiatives, resulting in $240 million in savings since mid-2022 and a return to GAAP profitability. The Board urges stockholders to vote FOR CEO Raul Vazquez and Carlos Minetti on the GREEN proxy card, opposing Findell Capital's attempt to remove Vazquez. The company executed significant operational changes in February 2023, including workforce reductions, expense eliminations, and the sale of its credit card portfolio. Notable achievements include a recent $439 million asset-backed securitization with AAA-rated notes at a 5.67% yield. Williams, who plans to retire at the 2025 Annual Meeting, defends the Board's proactive decision-making and highlights the diverse expertise of current board members.

Oportun (OPRT), a mission-driven financial services company, announced its participation in the upcoming Sidoti June Virtual Investor Conference. CEO Raul Vazquez and Interim CFO Paul Appleton will present and hold investor meetings at the event. The presentation is scheduled for June 11th at 4:00 pm ET and will be accessible via live webcast. Investors can access the presentation through a provided link or through Oportun's Investor Relations website. A replay of the presentation will remain available for 90 days following the conference.

Oportun (OPRT) has successfully completed a $439 million asset-backed securitization, marking a significant milestone with its first AAA rating on senior bonds. The two-year revolving fixed rate notes are secured by unsecured and secured installment loans, with five classes rated from AAA to BB- by Fitch. The transaction achieved a weighted average yield of 5.67%, which is 128 basis points lower than their January ABS financing. Goldman Sachs led the structuring, with Deutsche Bank, Jefferies, and Natixis as co-leads. The Class A notes were priced at 4.88%, Class B at 5.28%, Class C at 5.52%, Class D at 6.45%, and Class E at 9.40% with a 10.19% yield. This improved pricing reflects strong investor demand and demonstrates Oportun's growing market strength in providing affordable credit.

Findell Capital Partners criticizes Oportun Financial Corporation's (NASDAQ: OPRT) board leadership, particularly focusing on Ginny Lee's potential appointment as lead independent director. The activist investor condemns the board's decision to remove Scott Parker, a director who helped achieve a +190% TSR during his tenure. Findell highlights concerns about legacy board members' qualifications, noting their lack of lending experience and poor performance oversight, with TSR declines ranging from -58% to -75%. The firm specifically questions Ms. Lee's competence, citing her limited understanding of lending operations and previous professional connection to CEO Raul Vazquez at Intuit. Findell urges shareholders to vote for their nominee Warren Wilcox and against Vazquez at the 2025 Annual Meeting, while advocating for Parker's reinstatement.

Findell Capital Management, a major stockholder of Oportun Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: OPRT), has issued a letter urging shareholders to vote using the WHITE proxy card at the upcoming Annual Meeting. The activist investor is pushing for three key changes: 1) the election of Warren Wilcox, an experienced financial services executive, to the board; 2) the re-election of Carlos Minetti, a newly appointed independent director; and 3) the removal of CEO Raul Vazquez from the board. Findell argues that Vazquez's leadership has been value-destructive and warns that due to the board's classified structure, this may be the last opportunity until 2028 to remove him from the board. The firm emphasizes that shareholders who previously voted on the company's proxy card can still change their vote using the WHITE proxy card.

Oportun (NASDAQ: OPRT) has issued a letter to stockholders and mailed definitive proxy materials for its 2025 Annual Meeting. The company highlights strong Q1 2025 performance with 40% year-over-year growth in originations, a 13.3% adjusted operating expense ratio, and improving credit metrics. Oportun maintains its 2025 adjusted EPS guidance of $1.10-$1.30, representing 53-81% growth. The company is facing a proxy contest from Findell Capital Management, which seeks to remove CEO Raul Vazquez from the Board. Oportun urges stockholders to vote FOR its two nominees - Raul Vazquez and Carlos Minetti - on the GREEN proxy card. The company emphasizes its successful business transformation, focusing on improving credit outcomes, strengthening economics, and identifying quality originations. The Annual Meeting is scheduled for July 18, 2025, with stockholders of record as of May 27, 2025 eligible to vote.