Analyst Ratings February 6, 2026

Citizens Reaffirms Market Outperform on Dave, Keeps $310 Target as Board Adds Meta Engineer

Analyst cites attractive risk/reward at current EV/EBITDA multiple; other firms maintain or raise bullish ratings

By Nina Shah DAVE
Citizens Reaffirms Market Outperform on Dave, Keeps $310 Target as Board Adds Meta Engineer
DAVE

Citizens reiterated a Market Outperform rating and a $310 price target on Dave Inc (NASDAQ: DAVE), saying the stock's valuation - roughly 8.3x EV/2026E adjusted EBITDA - understates the company’s growth history and addressable market potential. The firm highlighted lower-than-appreciated credit risk and capital intensity as positives and attributed recent share-price weakness to headline and technical pressures rather than business fundamentals. Benchmark and Lake Street also remain bullish, while Dave added Nima Khajehnouri to its board.

Key Points

  • Citizens maintained a Market Outperform rating and a $310 price target on Dave, viewing current valuation as attractive.
  • Citizens noted Dave trades at about 8.3x EV/2026E adjusted EBITDA and sees less credit risk and lower capital intensity than the market appreciates.
  • Other firms remain positive: Benchmark kept a Buy rating with a $345 target; Lake Street raised its target to $308 and cited a strong quarter with improving credit performance.

Citizens kept its Market Outperform rating and $310.00 price objective on Dave Inc (NASDAQ: DAVE) in a note released on Friday, February 06 2026. The firm said its stance reflects a favorable risk/reward profile at current valuation levels.

Valuation and rationale

Citizens pointed to Dave trading at approximately 8.3x EV/2026E adjusted EBITDA and argued that this multiple does not capture the company’s historical growth rate nor its prospective expansion across addressable markets. The analyst team further noted that Dave carries "less credit risk and lower capital intensity than appreciated," observations the firm believes should be supportive of a higher valuation multiple over time.

The $310 price target corresponds to roughly a 17x multiple on Citizens’ 2026E adjusted EBITDA projections for Dave and is underpinned by a long-term discounted cash flow model, according to the note.

Drivers of recent share performance

Citizens attributed the recent downward pressure on Dave’s stock to "headline and technical" dynamics rather than to deterioration in the company’s underlying business metrics. The firm said it expects valuation to re-rate as Dave executes on initiatives that add "new growth and diversification legs to the stool."

Corporate governance update

Separately, Dave announced the appointment of Nima Khajehnouri to its Board of Directors. Khajehnouri, currently Vice President of Engineering at Meta, will also serve on Dave’s Audit Committee. Citizens’ note and company materials say Khajehnouri brings over two decades of engineering leadership experience from prior roles at Google and Snap.

Other analyst activity

Benchmark reiterated its Buy rating on Dave and maintained a $345.00 price target. Lake Street Capital Markets raised its price target to $308.00 from $263.00, maintaining a Buy rating and citing what it described as a "stellar quarter with improving credit performance." These actions indicate continued analyst interest and confidence in Dave’s financial trajectory.


Conclusion

Citizens’ reaffirmation, supported valuation math and commentary on credit risk and capital intensity underscore the firm’s view that Dave is undervalued at current multiples. Other brokerage updates and the board appointment add to the flow of news surrounding the company, which analysts say could influence valuation as strategic initiatives progress.

Key details

  • Citizens: Market Outperform, $310.00 price target; Dave trades at ~8.3x EV/2026E adjusted EBITDA.
  • Target implies ~17x on Citizens’ 2026E adjusted EBITDA and is supported by a long-term DCF model.
  • Board addition: Nima Khajehnouri, Meta VP of Engineering, joins Dave’s board and Audit Committee.
  • Other analysts: Benchmark - Buy, $345 target; Lake Street - Buy, target raised to $308 from $263 citing improved credit performance.

Risks

  • Share-price pressure has been driven by headline and technical factors, which can persist and affect market valuation - impacting equity investors and the broader financials sector.
  • Valuation improvement is conditional on Dave adding new growth and diversification initiatives; execution risk could influence investor sentiment and stock multiples - relevant to capital markets and fintech exposure.

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