Block's BFCM Transactions Hit 142M: Is Growth on the Rise?
Block's BFCM Performance: Block reported a 10% increase in transactions during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, processing over 124 million transactions and engaging 49.8 million unique consumers, with Midtown Atlanta being a notable local spending hotspot.
Financial Growth and Revenue: The company saw a 9.4% year-over-year increase in transaction-based revenues, totaling $1.87 billion, while its Square segment reported a 10.7% rise in transaction revenues.
Adyen and Shopify Performance: Adyen's platform processed $43 billion over the BFCM weekend, marking a 27% increase, while Shopify recorded $14.6 billion in global sales, also up 27% from the previous year.
Stock Valuation and Outlook: Block's shares have declined 29.3% year-to-date, with a negative trend in earnings estimates for 2025, suggesting a potential overvaluation and a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).
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- Layoff Announcement: Block Inc. has informed employees about a potential 10% workforce reduction during its annual performance review, which could affect approximately 1,137 employees, highlighting cost control pressures amid restructuring efforts.
- CashApp Growth: Despite the looming layoffs, Block's CashApp saw a 24% year-over-year gross profit increase, with monthly active users surging to 58 million, indicating strong performance in the payments sector.
- Profit Margin Pressure: Square only experienced a 9% growth in gross profit, as rising processing costs have pressured margins, reflecting challenges in the company's profitability.
- Future Outlook: Analysts predict that by 2026, Block will improve its margins and recover key metrics, despite facing temporary headwinds, demonstrating market confidence in its long-term potential.
- Stock Price Surge: Block shares rose nearly 3% in after-hours trading on Sunday, indicating a potential second consecutive day of gains if momentum holds during Monday's opening, reflecting positive market sentiment towards the company's restructuring efforts.
- Layoff Plans: According to a Bloomberg report, Block is informing hundreds of employees about potential layoffs, with up to 10% of the total workforce, approximately 1,100 employees, likely affected, indicating a strategic shift aimed at improving operational efficiency.
- Shifts in Market Sentiment: Despite retail sentiment on Block shifting from 'neutral' to 'bearish' over the past month, message volumes on Stocktwits surged by 250% in the last week, highlighting increased investor interest in the company's future prospects.
- Analyst Ratings: Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage of Block with an 'Overweight' rating and a price target of $87, noting that after the early stages of the turnaround, the company's innovation engine is firing on all cylinders, emphasizing the importance of execution in the upcoming period.
- Declining Bitcoin Correlation: Analyst Paul Golding highlights that as Bitcoin prices slide, many cryptocurrency miners have seen a significant decrease in their stock price correlation with Bitcoin, indicating a shift away from traditional mining towards AI infrastructure.
- Miner Transition Trend: Companies like MARA Holdings are pivoting from crypto mining to AI data centers while retaining some mining infrastructure for revenue, which could impact their future profitability models as they adapt to changing market conditions.
- Liquidity and Asset Management: Some miners, such as IREN, liquidate Bitcoin daily, while others hold Bitcoin assets to support infrastructure development, meaning fluctuations in Bitcoin prices can affect their balance sheet liquidity and investment capabilities.
- Market Sentiment Impact: Although the decline in Bitcoin prices does not necessarily lead to direct stock price drops for miners, market sentiment is closely tied to leverage in the crypto space, infrastructure demand, and model efficiency, all of which can influence investor perceptions of these companies.
- Layoff Plan: Block Inc. is planning to cut up to 10% of its workforce as part of a restructuring effort, which could affect hundreds of employees and reflects the company's pressure to control costs amid a bleak economic backdrop.
- Annual Performance Review: During the annual performance review period, the company has informed hundreds of employees that they may be let go, which could lead to decreased employee morale and negatively impact the company culture.
- Earnings Release: Block is set to release its quarterly financial results after market close on February 26, and investors will closely monitor its financial performance to assess the impact of layoffs on the company's future profitability.
- Market Response: Despite the restructuring challenges, the company has exceeded $200 billion in global lending, indicating a strong foundation in the financial services sector that may support future growth.
Staff Reductions: Dorsey’s company is cutting up to 10% of its staff as part of a strategy to improve efficiency.
Focus on Efficiency: The decision is aimed at enhancing operational efficiency within the organization.
- PayPal Oversold Status: PayPal's RSI is below 11, with shares plummeting over 24% this week, marking its worst weekly performance ever, primarily due to a weak 2026 profit outlook and CEO replacement, indicating market concerns about its future profitability.
- Coinbase Market Performance: Coinbase has an RSI of about 14, with shares down 25% this week linked to a plunge in Bitcoin prices; however, it regained some ground on Friday, and analysts remain optimistic, expecting the stock to double over the next year, reflecting confidence in digital assets.
- KKR Oversold Risk: KKR's RSI is below 20, with shares tracking down more than 13% this week amid fears that AI could disrupt the application software industry, yet most analysts maintain a buy rating, projecting a 53% increase in stock price over the coming year, showcasing investor confidence in its long-term potential.
- Market Sentiment Volatility: Following significant market swings, many stocks have RSIs below 20, indicating widespread overselling, as investors may be looking for buying opportunities at lower prices, reflecting expectations for a future rebound.










