Benzinga - by Surbhi Jain, .
Block (NYSE:SQ) aka Square stock was up over 20% on Friday after the company reported fourth-quarter earnings a day earlier. CEO Jack Dorsey said Block has done a lot to reduce costs and will now be focusing on growth. The company gave a 1.28% surprise on revenue, though EPS missed consensus estimates by 23.73%.
Related: Why Shares Of Jack Dorsey’s Block Are Surging 14% Premarket Today
Analysts are now assessing the earnings and reviewing their ratings on Block stock.
The Block Analyst: JPMorgan analyst Tien-tsin Huang, CFA has an Overweight rating on the stock with a price target of $90 a share. This implies an upside of 32.45% from the price level of $67.96 a share.
The Block Thesis: Huang sees strong prospects for Block post-Q4 earnings. The company swiftly cut costs, beating 4Q and FY24 EBITDA expectations, achieving a 22% gross profit growth with a 28% margin. Cash App thrived, growing 25% in gross profit, targeting the primary bank role for households earning up to $150k/year.
Block’s FY24 outlook aims for 15%+ gross profit growth, aligning with investor expectations. Huang, confident in Block’s future, raises the FY24 EBITDA estimate by 6%.
Huang emphasized Cash App’s growth roadmap, focusing on user banking and expanding into a next-gen social bank. “The overall momentum within Cash App is impressive, and we'll be watching for data points as Cash App closes product gap,” the analyst said.
Block also experiments with innovative strategies like a “pay-as-you-go” model and bundled restaurant offerings, another potential catalyst for the company.
Huang’s assessment highlighted Block’s adept cost management, Cash App’s robust growth, a positive outlook, and ongoing innovation. Block, with its favorable valuation, stands as a promising player in the evolving fintech sector.
Also Read: Block Q4 Earnings Highlights: Revenue Beat, EPS Miss, Q1 Guidance, Rule Of 40 Update And More
SQ Price Action: Block stock was up 21.34% to $82.46 at the time of publication Friday.
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Latest Ratings for SQ
| Mar 2022 | Mizuho | Maintains | Buy | |
| Feb 2022 | DA Davidson | Maintains | Buy | |
| Feb 2022 | BMO Capital | Upgrades | Market Perform | Outperform |
View the Latest Analyst Ratings
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