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Consumer Portfolio Services Inc (CPSS)

Financial Services Credit Services
9.00 $
Closing price · As of: 20. Jul 2026
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Read the Full Deep Dive
CPSS Stock: On Paper, More Free Cash Flow Than Market Cap — In the Bank, $6.9 Million

Consumer Portfolio Services buys auto loans made to people banks turn away, and it ranks near the top of our FCF/market-cap scanner: reported operating cash flow over the last four quarters exceeds the entire market value of the company (data as of July 8, 2026). Anyone who doesn't want to buy that has not understood the game — or has read the balance sheet. We worked through the annual reports (10-K) for 2024 and 2025 and the quarterly report (10-Q) as of March 31, 2026: $3.7 billion of debt on $314 million of equity, $6.9 million of unrestricted cash, 7.8 percent net charge-offs — and a business model in which the scanner's dream metric systematically measures the wrong thing. Not investment advice — just an arithmetic lesson on when a dream metric is simply the wrong lens.

Appears in These Scanners

This stock currently matches 6 of our scanner strategies — each hit links to the scanner.

Only genuine hits from verified scanners count; pure ranking metrics (P/E, P/S, and similar, which just sort the whole universe) don't count as a hit. View all scanners

Basics

Market Cap
0.2Mrd. $
Shares Outstanding
22Mio.
Float
41.6%
Beta
1.1

Performance

Perf. 1M
-3.20%
Perf. 3M
25.40%
Perf. 6M
3.90%
YTD Performance (%)
2.90%
52-Week-High Distance
-9.4%

Valuation

P/E
Forward P/E
5.2
PEG
0.3
P/B
P/S
0.5
EV/EBITDA
0.0
Price/FCF
0.7

Profitability

Gross Margin
100.0%
EBIT Margin
Net Margin
10.0%
Return on Equity
6.6%
Return on Assets
0.5%

Balance Sheet & Safety

Equity Ratio
Debt/Equity
Altman Z
3.73
Piotroski
7 von 9

Growth

Sales Growth Last Quarter
7.90%
EPS Growth Last Quarter
26.30%
Sales Growth (Year)
8.76%
Forward Sales Growth
Forward EPS Growth

Quality & Screener

Stage
2
RS Rating
53
EPS Rating
69
Piotroski
7 von 9
Fundamental Rating
C (-1 von 100)
Altman Z
3.73

AI Rating

Uses AI

Consumer Portfolio Services erklärt im 10-K für 2025 erstmals ausdrücklich, KI in Teilen des Geschäftsbetriebs einzusetzen (u. a. Kundenservice, Kreditverwaltung/Servicing, Datenanalyse, Compliance-Überwachung) — KI ist keine Umsatzquelle; der neue Risikofaktor behandelt Umsetzungs-, Anbieter- und Regulierungsrisiken des eigenen KI-Einsatzes, keine konkrete Bedrohung des Geschäftsmodells durch KI.

View the full file — quotes, sources, reviewed filings
„We use artificial intelligence (“AI”) in certain aspects of our business operations, and we or our third-party service providers may expand the use of these technologies in the future. AI may be used to support functions such as customer service, servicing operations, data analysis, compliance monitoring, and other processes related to our auto finance activities."

Wir setzen künstliche Intelligenz („KI“) in bestimmten Bereichen unseres Geschäftsbetriebs ein, und wir oder unsere externen Dienstleister könnten den Einsatz dieser Technologien künftig ausweiten. KI kann zur Unterstützung von Funktionen wie Kundenservice, Kreditverwaltung, Datenanalyse, Compliance-Überwachung und anderen Prozessen im Zusammenhang mit unserem Autofinanzierungsgeschäft eingesetzt werden.

10-K · 2026-03-16 · View SEC filing
„If we are unable to effectively manage the risks associated with the use of AI, including operational, regulatory, data security, or reputational risks, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected."

Wenn es uns nicht gelingt, die mit dem Einsatz von KI verbundenen Risiken — einschließlich operativer, regulatorischer, datensicherheitsbezogener oder reputationsbezogener Risiken — wirksam zu steuern, könnten sich unser Geschäft, unsere Finanzlage und unsere Ertragslage nachteilig entwickeln.

10-K · 2026-03-16 · View SEC filing

Rated on July 18, 2026 · How the Rating Is Built

Sales Per Quarter ($M)
2024: Q4 · 105.3 Mio. $ Q4 2025: Q1 · 106.9 Mio. $ Q1 2025: Q2 · 109.8 Mio. $ Q2 2025: Q3 · 108.4 Mio. $ Q3 2025: Q4 · 109.4 Mio. $ Q4 2026: Q1 · 112.3 Mio. $ Q1
Earnings Per Share Per Quarter ($)
2024: Q4 · 0.24 $ Q4 2025: Q1 · 0.22 $ Q1 2025: Q2 · 0.22 $ Q2 2025: Q3 · 0.22 $ Q3 2025: Q4 · 0.23 $ Q4 2026: Q1 · 0.26 $ Q1
Net Margin Per Quarter (%)
2024: Q4 · 4.9 % Q4 2025: Q1 · 4.4 % Q1 2025: Q2 · 4.4 % Q2 2025: Q3 · 4.5 % Q3 2025: Q4 · 4.6 % Q4 2026: Q1 · 4.9 % Q1
Operating Cash Flow Per Quarter ($M)
2024: Q4 · 68.0 Mio. $ Q4 2025: Q1 · 73.9 Mio. $ Q1 2025: Q2 · 54.5 Mio. $ Q2 2025: Q3 · 84.9 Mio. $ Q3 2025: Q4 · 75.8 Mio. $ Q4 2026: Q1 · 83.8 Mio. $ Q1
Free Cash Flow Per Quarter ($M)
2024: Q4 · 67.9 Mio. $ Q4 2025: Q1 · 73.4 Mio. $ Q1 2025: Q2 · 54.3 Mio. $ Q2 2025: Q3 · 84.9 Mio. $ Q3 2025: Q4 · 75.7 Mio. $ Q4 2026: Q1 · 83.0 Mio. $ Q1
Sales Growth vs. Year-Ago Quarter (%)
2024: Q4 · 14.5 % Q4 2025: Q1 · 16.5 % Q1 2025: Q2 · 14.5 % Q2 2025: Q3 · 7.8 % Q3 2025: Q4 · 3.9 % Q4 2026: Q1 · 5.1 % Q1
EPS Growth vs. Year-Ago Quarter (%)
2024: Q4 · -28.4 % Q4 2025: Q1 · 2.3 % Q1 2025: Q2 · 2.7 % Q2 2025: Q3 · 1.2 % Q3 2025: Q4 · -3.2 % Q4 2026: Q1 · 18.0 % Q1
Price Change in Quarter (%)
2024: Q4 · 15.8 % Q4 2025: Q1 · -20.2 % Q1 2025: Q2 · 13.4 % Q2 2025: Q3 · -23.2 % Q3 2025: Q4 · 23.6 % Q4 2026: Q1 · -17.1 % Q1

Quarterly Figures

Quarterly Figures
Quarter EPS (Earnings Per Share) EPS YoY (%) Sales ($M) Sales YoY (%) Net Margin (%) OCF ($M) FCF ($M)
2024: Q4 0.24 -28.40 105 14.50 4.90 68 68
2025: Q1 0.22 2.30 107 16.50 4.40 74 73
2025: Q2 0.22 2.70 110 14.50 4.40 55 54
2025: Q3 0.22 1.20 108 7.80 4.50 85 85
2025: Q4 0.23 -3.20 109 3.90 4.60 76 76
2026: Q1 0.26 18.00 112 5.10 4.90 84 83
What Do These Terms Mean?
EPS (Earnings Per Share):
Quarterly profit divided by the total share count — how much of the profit works out to a single share.
YoY (Year over Year):
Change versus the same quarter a year ago — this is how you compare without seasonal distortion (e.g. the holiday shopping season).
Sales:
All revenue for the quarter, before any costs are deducted — the top line of the income statement.
Net Margin:
What percentage of sales is left over as profit in the end. Negative means the company is posting a loss.
OCF (Operating Cash Flow):
The cash that actually flows into the till from the core business during the quarter — harder to dress up than book profit.
FCF (Free Cash Flow):
Operating cash flow minus capital expenditures — the money that's genuinely free to use, say for paying down debt, buybacks, or dividends.

Assessment: Opportunities & Risks

Business model & track record

In sub-prime auto finance since 1991, $24.7 billion of loans purchased, 107 securitizations since 1994, fourteen consecutive profitable fiscal years (2012 through 2025) and 34 years of management continuity — the portfolio has grown 73 percent since the end of 2021 to $3.9 billion (10-K 2025).

The scanner metric FCF/market cap

The roughly 143 percent "FCF yield" (data as of July 8, 2026) is a mismeasurement of the business model: $289.0 million of operating cash flow (2025) stands against $1,639.0 million of loan purchases in investing cash flow and $335.9 million of fresh net financing; unrestricted cash as of March 31, 2026: $6.9 million (10-K 2025, 10-Q Q1 2026).

Earnings & the rate turn

Net income compressed from $86.0 million to $19.3 million (2022 through 2025) as interest expense exploded to $232.0 million — but refinancing has been getting cheaper since 2024 (April 2026: 5.51 percent after 8.48 percent in October 2022), and Q1 2026 delivered a 26 percent EPS gain without any fair value write-up.

Credit quality & leverage

Net charge-offs of 7.8 percent and trending up, 14.8 percent of the book past due or in repossession, about 45 percent of the portfolio deferred at least once — on $3.67 billion of debt against $314 million of equity (roughly 11.7 times) and a model that needs four open securitization windows a year (10-K 2025, 10-Q Q1 2026).

Valuation & capital allocation

Roughly 0.66 times book value and 12 times 2025 earnings (data as of July 8, 2026) are a real discount, and buybacks below book (942,550 shares at an average of $9.20) create value per share — tarnished by repurchases directly from the CEO and a director without pre-approval (subsequently ratified) and a 2025 say-on-pay approval of only 62 percent (10-K 2025, Item 13).

Bottom Line

CPSS is not a cash-flow miracle but a highly leveraged sub-prime specialist with an honest price tag: for a lender, the FCF/market-cap scanner metric measures the throughput of the machine, not free money — what is real is two thirds of book value, fourteen profitable years and a rate cycle turning from headwind to tailwind, set against 7.8 percent charge-offs, nearly twelvefold leverage and a refinancing assembly line that presumes open capital markets. Whoever buys the stock buys the package — not the metric. Not investment advice.

Worth Noting:
  • CPSS reached our research list via rank 14 in the in-house FCF/market-cap scanner (as of July 18, 2026; scanner data as of July 8, 2026) — the analysis deliberately shows why this metric does not work as a buy signal for loan-book businesses such as banks and consumer lenders.
  • Financials caveat: for lenders, operating and "free" cash flow are not measures of distributable money, because loan purchases run through investing cash flow and are debt-financed; what matters are earnings, book value, charge-off rates and refinancing costs.
  • Price and valuation figures dated July 8, 2026 (about $9.50 per share, about $210 million market cap); analyses are evergreen, daily prices are not a buy argument.

About the Company

Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc. ist ein Spezialfinanzierer in den USA.

Employees956
HeadquartersLas Vegas, NV
Websiteconsumerportfolio.com
IPO Date22. Oct 1992
Next Earnings10. Aug 2026

Management

Management
Name Title Birth Year
Charles E. Bradley Jr. CEO & Chairman 1960
Michael T. Lavin President, COO & Chief Legal Officer 1973
Denesh Bharwani CFO & Executive VP 1968
Brian J. Rayhill Secretary & Independent Director 1963
Teri L. Robinson Executive Vice President of Sales & Originations 1963
Catrina Ralston Senior Vice President of Human Resources 1977
Robert E. Riedl Senior EVP & Chief Risk Officer 1963
Christopher Terry Executive Vice President of Systems, Risk & IT 1968
Steve Schween Senior Vice President of Systems 1964
Charles E. Gonel Senior Vice President of Servicing 1981

Executives per the latest required filings; titles kept in their original language. Source: fundamental data.

Chart

Interactive price chart (TradingView).

Data as of: July 20, 2026 · Source: fundamental data & SEC filings (annual and quarterly reports, 10-K/10-Q)

Note: pure fact-based analysis, not investment advice and not a solicitation to buy or sell. All figures without guarantee.

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