Square Stock Spikes 7% On Earnings Beat

Square-parent Block ( SQ ) reported first-quarter earnings and revenue that topped estimates, with guidance for Square stock coming in above expectations. Square's earnings for the period ended March 31 were 74 cents per share on an adjusted basis, up 85% from the year-earlier period. Net revenue came in at $5.96 billion, up 19% from a year earlier, including Cash App transactions for bitcoin. CEO Jack Dorsey reiterated the company's commitment to cryptocurrency Bitcoin in a letter to shareholders, detailing a renewed focus on Bitcoin both from a new product perspective and in terms of balance sheet investment. Square ( SQ ) intends to develop and market a new Bitcoin mining chip and other mining hardware while 10% of Bitcoin gross profit, or $20 million per year, will be allocated to Bitcoin purchases.

Financial analysts also view gross profit as a key metric for SQ stock, with gross profit rising 22% to $2.09 billion in Q1 compared to estimates of $2.02 billion. On the stock market, Square stock ( SQ ) rose more than 7% to 74.66 in early trading. Cost-cutting boosted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, a key metric known as EBITDA, which came in at $705 million vs. estimates of $591 million. In Q1, gross payment volume from the transactions of merchant customers rose 9% to $50.5 billion, below estimates of $55.81 billion. Square expects EBITDA of $680 million for the first quarter of 2024, and in Q2, it forecasts gross profit of $2.175 billion, roughly in line with estimates.

In its core businesses, Square ( SQ ) operates a two-sided digital payments ecosystem designed for both merchant sellers and consumer buyers.