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

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Block (NYSE:XYZ) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Saturday.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $91.00 price target on shares of Block in a research report on Friday. Needham & Company LLC upped their price target on Block from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. TD Cowen upped their price target on Block from $91.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Bank of America reduced their price target on Block from $85.00 to $80.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Finally, BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $90.00 price target on shares of Block in a research report on Friday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Block has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $84.51.

Block Stock Up 6.7%

Shares of NYSE XYZ opened at $74.86 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 2.20 and a current ratio of 2.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.48, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 2.57. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $63.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $64.19. Block has a 52-week low of $48.21 and a 52-week high of $82.50.

Block (NYSE:XYZ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The technology company reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30 by $0.55. The firm had revenue of $6.06 billion during the quarter. Block had a return on equity of 6.97% and a net margin of 3.30%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.56 EPS. Block has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.860-0.860 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 3.850-3.850 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Block will post 2.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Block

In related news, insider Brian Grassadonia sold 10,349 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $517,450.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 503,784 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,189,200. This represents a 2.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Chrysty Esperanza sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.00, for a total transaction of $225,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 268,169 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,112,675. The trade was a 1.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 49,725 shares of company stock valued at $3,401,393 in the last quarter. Insiders own 11.37% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Block

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Howard Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Block by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,439 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $321,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Block by 23.1% during the 3rd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 853 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $66,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its stake in shares of Block by 57.1% during the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 443 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its stake in shares of Block by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 21,183 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,561,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Block by 33.9% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 707 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. 70.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Block News Roundup

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.