Block (NYSE:XYZ) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to Buy Rating

Key Points

• Block was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from hold to buy, adding to a wave of generally positive analyst sentiment. Several firms also raised price targets, and the stock now carries a consensus Moderate Buy rating with an average target of $84.51.
• The company reported strong Q1 results, posting $0.85 EPS versus the $0.30 estimate and revenue of $6.06 billion, while quarterly revenue rose 4.9% year over year. Block also beat earnings expectations for the quarter and showed solid margin performance.
• Management raised guidance for fiscal 2026, now calling for $3.85 EPS, which helped reinforce confidence in the outlook. The stock was trading near $74.86, not far below its 52-week high of $82.50.

Block (NYSE:XYZ - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report released on Saturday.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Truist Financial raised their price objective on Block from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Block from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday. Citigroup lifted their target price on Block from $85.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their target price on Block from $78.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their target price on Block from $91.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $84.51.

Block Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:XYZ opened at $74.86 on Friday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $63.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $64.19. The stock has a market cap of $44.85 billion, a PE ratio of 58.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 2.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 2.20 and a current ratio of 2.20. Block has a one year low of $48.21 and a one year high of $82.50.

Block (NYSE:XYZ - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The technology company reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.30 by $0.55. Block had a return on equity of 6.97% and a net margin of 3.30%.The firm had revenue of $6.06 billion for the quarter. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.56 EPS. Block's quarterly revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Block has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.860-0.860 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 3.850-3.850 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Block will post 2.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Block news, insider Owen Britton Jennings sold 3,555 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.41, for a total value of $225,422.55. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 231,262 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,664,323.42. This trade represents a 1.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Brian Grassadonia sold 10,349 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $517,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 503,784 shares in the company, valued at $25,189,200. This trade represents a 2.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 49,725 shares of company stock valued at $3,401,393. 11.37% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Block

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of XYZ. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Block by 23.1% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 67,626,485 shares of the technology company's stock worth $4,887,366,000 after acquiring an additional 12,709,824 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Block during the second quarter worth about $535,305,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Block during the fourth quarter worth about $484,387,000. Capital World Investors increased its position in shares of Block by 192.7% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 11,296,224 shares of the technology company's stock worth $816,378,000 after acquiring an additional 7,436,380 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Viking Global Investors LP purchased a new stake in shares of Block during the second quarter worth about $368,213,000. 70.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Block

Here are the key news stories impacting Block this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Block reported Q1 EPS of $0.85, well above estimates, while revenue came in at $6.06 billion and gross profit growth remained resilient across Cash App and Square. Block (XYZ) Q1 Earnings Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised 2026 guidance, with full-year EPS now expected at $3.85 and Q2 EPS guidance also above Wall Street expectations, reinforcing confidence in the company’s outlook. Block Lifts Guidance on Higher Payment Volumes, Boom in Lending
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts turned more upbeat after the report, including Citigroup, RBC, KBW, Needham, and BTIG, with multiple firms raising price targets and reiterating buy/outperform ratings. Analyst price target updates on Block
• Neutral Sentiment: Some investors may note that one analyst, Piper Sandler, kept an underweight rating even while raising its price target, indicating there is still some debate over how much upside remains. Piper Sandler price target update on Block

About Block

Block NYSE: XYZ is a financial technology company that builds products and services to facilitate electronic payments, commerce, and consumer finance. Its principal business lines include a seller-focused ecosystem that provides point-of-sale hardware and software, payment processing, invoicing, payroll and lending services, and a consumer-facing platform that offers peer-to-peer payments, banking-like features, and investing. Block's portfolio also encompasses music streaming and buy-now-pay-later capabilities through businesses acquired to broaden its reach beyond core payments.

The company was founded as Square in 2009 by Jack Dorsey and Jim McKelvey and later rebranded to Block to reflect a diversified set of businesses across payments, consumer finance, and emerging technologies.

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