Dan Loeb‘s Third Point acquired an investment in Block, Inc. (NYSE:XYZ) in the second quarter, buying around 2.56 million shares, valued at about $194 million, as of June 30.

Recent News:

  • Block reported second-quarter earnings of $1.02 per share, which beat the consensus estimate of 87 cents. Quarterly revenue came in at $6.62 billion, which beat the analyst consensus estimate of $6.49 billion. 
  • Cash App Commerce Enablement volume grew 17% year over year to $56.5 billion in the second quarter, driven by Cash App Card and BNPL. 
  • Square GPV grew 13% year over year in the second quarter, while International GPV growth sustained strong performance, growing 28% year over year (25% in constant currency).
  • Block holds 9,117 Bitcoin, currently worth $590 million, ranking as the 15th-largest corporate holder of the apex cryptocurrency, according to BitcoinTreasuries.net.
  • Block raised its 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $4.02 from $3.85, above the analyst estimate of $3.89.
  • The company expects third quarter adjusted EPS of $1.02, slightly ahead of the $1.01 consensus.
  • CEO Jack Dorsey said that the firm’s new workspace collaboration platform, Buzz, elevates its core technologies to a new height.
  • He added that, “AI will make software creation abundant. Judgment, trust, depth of understanding, and capability will become scarce. Our advantage is that we understand which things matter for the customers we serve, we own the hard capabilities behind them, and we’ve connected them into a network that compounds with every seller and every customer who joins,”
  • Block’s Square expands relationship with Google, bringing US food and beverage sellers into Ask Maps.

Read Also: Billionaire Activist Investor Dan Loeb's Third Point Builds 4-Stock Bitcoin-To-AI Basket

Financial Sector Check: XLF Performance vs Block

Block operates in the Financial sector, tracked by the Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLF), which ranks 4th out of the 11 S&P sectors on Monday.

Key Performance Indicators:

  • Sector Rank: 4 of 11 sectors (Upper-middle performer)
  • Daily Move: +0.63%
  • 1-Month Trend: -3.43% (Underperforming)
  • 90-Day Trend: -1.97% (Bearish)
  • Stock vs Sector: Underperforming by 0.55 percentage points
  • Top Performing Sectors Monday: Energy (XLE), Communication Services (XLC), Consumer Staples (XLP) (These are the top 3 performing sectors today, not peers of Block,)

Sector leadership Monday is coming from Energy and defensive areas like Consumer Staples, while Technology and Consumer Discretionary are lagging, pointing to a more cautious risk backdrop. Financials are participating on the upside but sit behind the day’s strongest groups, suggesting rotation is favoring select cyclicals and defensives over growth-heavy segments.

XYZ Earnings Outlook: EPS and Revenue Estimates, Premium P/E

  • EPS Estimate: $1.02 (Up from 54 cents YoY)
  • Revenue Estimate: $6.61 Billion (Up from $6.11 Billion YoY)
  • Valuation: P/E of 137.9x (Indicates premium valuation relative to peers)

Analyst Consensus & Recent Actions: The stock carries a Buy rating with an average price forecast of $99.45. Recent analyst moves include:

Recent analyst moves include:

  • Baird: Outperform (Raises Target to $106.00) (Oct. 2)
  • BTIG: Buy (Maintains Target to $100.00) (Sept. 25)
  • Cantor Fitzgerald: Overweight (Maintains Target to $95.00) (Sept. 25)

Block vs PayPal, Affirm and Payments Peers: 1-Year Returns

This peer comparison is based on a curated set of payment and fintech names selected for this analysis: PayPal Holdings, Inc. (PYPL), Affirm Holdings, Inc. (AFRM), Corpay, Inc. (CPAY), Fiserv, Inc. (FISV), and Global Payments, Inc. (GPN). Over the past year, Block gained 3.05%, beating the peer-group average return of 0.29% by 2.75 percentage points. However, Block still trailed Corpay, Inc. (+41.90%) and Affirm Holdings, Inc. (+8.12%).

Within the group, Corpay, Inc. was the strongest performer at +41.90%, while Fiserv, Inc. was the weakest at -27.76%. The remaining peers were mixed, with PayPal Holdings, Inc. down 18.75%, Global Payments, Inc. down 2.05%, and Affirm Holdings, Inc. up 8.12%.

Benzinga Edge for Block: Momentum, Value, Growth Scorecard

Below is the Benzinga Edge scorecard for Block, highlighting its strengths and weaknesses compared to the broader market:

  • Momentum: Neutral (Score: 66.16) — The stock is showing steady relative strength, but it’s not in a runaway trend.
  • Value: Neutral (Score: 65.93) — The valuation picture screens as middle-of-the-pack on this model, even with a premium-style P/E.
  • Growth: Neutral (Score: 44.92) — Growth factors are more mixed right now, suggesting the market wants clearer acceleration to re-rate the stock higher.

The Verdict: Block’s Benzinga Edge signal reveals a fairly balanced, moderate setup, with momentum and value factors holding up better than growth. For traders, that often translates into a "prove it" chart: holding support matters near $77.00, while a push back toward $87.00 would be the first step toward reclaiming the prior high zone.

Top ETF Exposure: FINX and BPAY Weighting in XYZ

  • Global X FinTech ETF (NASDAQ:FINX): 6.70% Weight
  • iShares FinTech Active ETF (NYSE:BPAY): 3.89% Weight

Significance: Because XYZ carries significant weight in these funds, any significant inflows or outflows for these ETFs will likely force automatic buying or selling of the stock.

XYZ Stock Today: Block Holds Slightly Green Monday

XYZ Stock Price Activity: Block shares are trading lower by 0.79% at $76.63 at the time of publication on Monday, according to Benzinga Pro data.

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