Should I buy Block stock in 2025? ZA Guide & Analysis

What is the Block?

How much is the Block stock?

The price of Block stock is rising this week. As of 30 May 2025, Block trades at $62.16 with a 24-hour increase of $0.35 (up 0.57%) and a strong weekly gain of 12.12%. The company holds a market capitalisation of $38.27 billion, with an average three-month daily volume of 10.53 million shares. Its P/E ratio stands at 14.98, no dividend is paid, and Block’s high beta of 2.83 reflects notable share price volatility. This level of movement presents both risks and opportunities for South African investors watching global fintech trends.

Our full analysis on the Block stock

Block Inc. (NYSE: XYZ, formerly Square Inc.) has again drawn the attention of market participants following its latest set of financial results and a period of significant price volatility over the past three years. Leveraging a multi-dimensional approach—combining up-to-date financial metrics, technical signals, comparative industry data, and insights from our proprietary analytical models—we have reassessed Block’s current positioning within the global fintech landscape. So, why might Block stock once again become a strategic entry point into the high-growth financial technology sector in 2025?

Recent Performance and Market Context

Block’s share price currently stands at $62.16 (as of 30 May 2025), reflecting a robust short-term recovery with a weekly gain of +12.12%. Despite a six-month pullback of -29.8% and a moderate one-year decline of -5.19%, the stock’s strong recent rebound suggests a market re-rating and renewed institutional attention. The past week’s momentum was bolstered by two major events: the launch of Bitcoin payments on the Square platform in Las Vegas and an analyst upgrade from BNP Paribas Exane, shifting their view from “Neutral” to “Outperform.”

The fintech sector remains in investors’ cross-hairs globally and particularly resonates in markets such as South Africa, where digital finance and SME enablement continue to accelerate. Global market conditions are turning increasingly supportive for fintech operators. Central banks are signalling a more accommodative environment, and elevated consumer adoption of digital wallets and “buy now, pay later” services persists from Johannesburg to New York. Block’s diverse product suite and its ability to innovate have helped it weather sector headwinds, positioning the company strongly as the economic cycle turns.

Technical Analysis

From a chartist perspective, Block exhibits several bullish qualities. The stock trades well above its 52-week low ($44.27, touched as recently as 2 May 2025), having rebounded decisively and remaining comfortably within the $44–$99 range that has defined its recent trading dynamics. Technically, this ongoing recovery is underpinned by a classic “inverse head and shoulders” pattern on the monthly chart—a historically reliable signal of a long-term bullish reversal, especially after two years of sustained downward pressure.

• Relative Strength Index (RSI): Currently hovering in the 50–60 zone, indicating healthy rebound momentum but far from overbought territory.
• MACD (Moving Average Convergence Divergence): Positive crossover emerging on daily and weekly timeframes, often the precursor to a medium-term uptrend.
• Moving Averages: The 20-day simple moving average has recently crossed above the 50-day, suggesting a nascent, sustainable uptrend.
• Support and Resistance: $44.27 forms a formidable support base, while $75 (consensus analyst target) and $99.26 (52-week high) are the next test levels. A clean break above $65–$70 may accelerate buying pressure.

Short- and medium-term structure is thus increasingly favourable, and the technical landscape suggests that Block stock could be entering a new, sustainable bullish phase.

Fundamental Analysis

• Revenue: Q3 2024 revenue of $5.98 billion (+6.4% YoY) demonstrates top-line resilience, despite missing the consensus revenue estimate by just under 5%. Importantly, the company is not simply growing, but enhancing profitability.
• Gross Profit: Surged by 19% YoY to $2.25 billion, confirming the scalability of Block’s platform initiatives and improving operational efficiency.
• Net Income: Quarterly net profit of $283.7 million (versus a loss of $29 million a year earlier) marks a critical return to sustained profitability.
• EPS: Q3 EPS of $0.88 surpassed consensus forecasts, reflecting underlying business solidity.

Valuation remains a relative advantage: with a trailing P/E ratio of 14.98, Block trades at a discount to most leading fintech peers, despite its higher forecast growth rate. The current market price offers a PEG (Price/Earnings-to-Growth) ratio that is fundamentally attractive for growth-focused investors.

• Top-Tier Brand: Block (and its flagship platforms, Square and Cash App) maintains significant brand equity in both the US and international markets, including growing relevance for African SMEs and consumers.
• Innovation: Aggressive rollout of cryptocurrency payments and the continued integration of Afterpay (BNPL), position Block at the leading edge of digital payment evolution.
• Market Share: Maintains a dominant position in merchant solutions for SMEs and increasing penetration in consumer digital finance via Cash App.

Block’s long-term growth trajectory appears well anchored. For 2025, management projects 12% gross profit growth (targeting ~$9.96 billion), with adjusted operating income estimated at $1.9 billion and improved margins (19%).

Volume and Liquidity

Solid liquidity is a hallmark of mature, high-profile tech stocks. Block averages 10.53 million shares traded daily (as of May 2025), ensuring a dynamic and liquid market for both institutional and retail investors. High sustained volume signals market confidence in the company’s turnaround and upward trajectory.

The share float remains optimal for dynamic price discovery, without excessive dilution. With Block’s market capitalisation at $38.27 billion, the underlying trading ecosystem is robust, reducing slippage and facilitating efficient portfolio rebalancing.

Catalysts and Positive Outlook

• Expansion of Bitcoin Payments: The recent successful launch in Las Vegas is only the start—management intends to extend Bitcoin payment capabilities across the entire Square platform, potentially turbocharging transaction volume and fee-based revenue.
• Cash App Growth: The app achieved 21% YoY gross profit growth last quarter, cementing its position as a core growth driver. Further upgrades and innovation, including financial services tailored for Gen Z and the unbanked, could accelerate adoption both in developed and emerging markets.
• Fintech Ecosystem Synergies: The blurring of lines between consumer and merchant solutions (Square–Cash App integration, Afterpay inclusion) enhances customer stickiness and cross-selling opportunities.
• ESG Initiatives: Block continues to focus on financially empowering SMEs, fostering financial inclusion, and facilitating responsible crypto adoption—key themes for both institutional and ESG-focused funds.
• Sector Tailwinds: The global surge in cashless transactions, positive regulatory trends in key regions (including Africa), and heightened consumer familiarity with 'digital first' financial services are macro-level positives that align well with Block’s core capabilities.
• Analyst Sentiment: More than 79% of tracked analysts now rate Block as “Buy” or “Strong Buy”, reflecting a market consensus that the current share price does not fully capture the company’s forward potential.

Investment Strategies

• Short-term:
• Momentum traders may find compelling entry at current levels, following the technical breakout above support and ahead of further positive newsflow on Bitcoin payments.
• A move through the $65–$68 resistance could attract additional technical buyers and short-covering.
• Medium-term:
• The 12–18 month outlook is supported by emerging profitability, strong profit guidance for 2025, and ongoing product rollout.
• Ideal positioning would coincide with pullbacks toward support ($50–$56 range), or on volume-driven breakouts above current moving averages.
• Long-term:
• For investors with a multi-year horizon, Block’s integrated ecosystem, persistent innovation, and increasing profit margins provide a compelling structural upside case.
• The stock’s 52-week range (low at $44, high at $99) offers a favourable risk-reward profile, especially as digital payment penetration continues to rise on both sides of the Atlantic and in Africa.

An allocation at the current valuation—well below recent highs and with improving growth fundamentals—seems to represent an excellent opportunity to gain leverage to some of the global fintech sector’s most attractive secular trends.

Is it the Right Time to Buy Block?

Pulling together the technical, fundamental, and strategic context: Block demonstrates renewed growth, a clear path to higher profitability, and industry leadership in both merchant and consumer fintech solutions. The combination of a technical bullish reversal, an attractive current valuation near the lower end of its trading range, solid quarterly earnings, and multiple innovation catalysts supports a distinctly optimistic outlook.

Block stock may be entering a new bullish phase, underpinned by robust operating momentum, favourable industry trends, and a management team with a proven record of execution. For South African and global investors seeking exposure to next-generation payment technologies and digital finance, Block deserves to be seriously considered as a candidate for portfolio inclusion at this juncture.

As we enter 2025, the confluence of innovation, operational turnaround, and sector tailwinds positions Block as a standout opportunity—not merely for tactical traders, but as a strategic building block in any future-ready equity portfolio.

How to buy Block stock in ZA?

Buying Block Inc. (NYSE: XYZ) shares online is easier and safer than ever for retail investors in South Africa. Thanks to regulated brokers, you can purchase Block stock in just a few clicks, with your investment protected by robust oversight. There are two key ways to gain exposure: buying actual shares ('spot buying'), where you become a shareholder, and trading Contracts for Difference (CFDs), which track Block’s price without owning the shares. Each method has unique features and costs—explore the comparison of top brokers further down this page to find the best fit for your needs.

Spot buying

When you buy Block shares for cash through a broker, you directly own the shares and benefit from any price appreciation. This is the classic, long-term investment approach. Brokers operating in South Africa typically charge a fixed commission per order, often between R80 and R150, with some charging a small percentage-based fee instead.

Example

If Block’s current share price is $62.16 USD (around R1,170 at an exchange rate of 18.8 ZAR/USD), a $1,000 investment (about R18,800) allows you to buy approximately 16 shares, after accounting for a brokerage fee of ~$5 (R94).

• ✔️ If the share price rises by 10% to $68.38, your investment is now worth $1,100.
• Result: a $100 gross gain, or +10% on your investment (excluding exchange rate effects and tax).

Trading via CFD

CFD trading lets you speculate on Block’s share price without owning the shares. This method is popular for its flexibility—especially the ability to use leverage, meaning you can control a bigger exposure with a smaller initial outlay. CFD brokers typically charge a ‘spread’ (the difference between buy/sell prices) and, if you hold positions overnight, a daily financing charge.

Example

For instance, with a $1,000 deposit (roughly R18,800), you could open a CFD position on Block shares with 5x leverage. This would give you exposure worth $5,000 (about 80 shares).

• ✔️ If the share price climbs by 8%, your position gains 8% × 5 = 40%.
• Result: a $400 profit on your $1,000 investment, before fees or currency fluctuations. Remember, leverage can magnify both gains and losses.

Final advice

Before investing, take the time to compare brokers’ fees, product ranges, and trading conditions—costs can differ significantly, directly affecting your returns. Your ideal choice will depend on your objectives: long-term investors may prefer cash purchases and direct ownership, while active traders might opt for CFDs and leverage. To find the option that best suits your strategy, refer to our broker comparison table further down the page. Investing is a powerful wealth-building tool—choose confidently and always invest responsibly.

Our 7 tips for buying Block stock

The latest news about Block

Block stock surged 12.12% over the past week, supported by strong technical and market momentum. This positive trend follows the identification of an “inverse head and shoulders” pattern on the monthly chart, which is often interpreted by equity strategists as a bullish reversal after a prolonged downtrend. Sentiment among market participants has improved, with notable increases in trading volume and renewed analyst interest, suggesting growing confidence in the stock’s short-term outlook—an important factor for South African investors seeking exposure to resilient global fintech equities.

Block launched Bitcoin payment capabilities for its Square merchant platform in May 2025, signaling fintech innovation relevant to ZA's crypto-friendly market. The rollout of Bitcoin payment acceptance, initially in the US, highlights the company’s continued global focus on digital currencies and payment modernization. This direction aligns well with South Africa’s increasing regulatory clarity around cryptocurrency and its robust community of crypto adopters, enhancing the appeal of Block’s evolving payments ecosystem for local businesses and fintech disruptors investigating international standards.

Earnings for the latest quarter showed net profit growth of $283.7 million—Block’s best quarterly performance in years. The third quarter’s net income compared to a loss the previous year and a 19% gross profit increase year-on-year, reflecting ongoing operational improvements. This profitability milestone, surpassing consensus EPS estimates, is an encouraging signal of earnings turnaround and validates the strength of growth drivers such as Cash App, which remains highly relevant to ZA’s digital finance landscape where mobile money adoption persists as a structural trend.

BNP Paribas Exane upgraded its recommendation on Block from “Neutral” to “Outperform” in late May 2025, strengthening positive analyst sentiment. This upgrade is founded on Block’s strategic execution and growth prospects, including continued expansion in crypto payments and integration across its consumer and merchant platforms. Analyst projections now indicate a consensus target price approximately 30% above current levels, reinforcing an improved outlook for global investors, including those in South Africa who value robust, exportable business models in evaluating US-listed fintech leaders.

Block’s integration of Afterpay and continued Cash App growth positions the company competitively for South African fintech partnerships and market entry discussions. The Afterpay (buy now, pay later) platform’s synergy with Square and Cash App demonstrates Block’s commitment to providing a comprehensive embedded fintech experience. As the South African e-commerce and fintech sectors mature, well-established international “buy now, pay later” and digital payments platforms like Block’s are increasingly relevant for local partnerships, technology adoption, or product distribution—particularly as regulatory clarity in ZA’s financial sector continues to advance.

FAQ

P. Laurore

Finance expert

Co-founder of HelloSafe and holder of a Master's degree in finance, Pauline has recognised expertise in personal finance, which she uses to help users better understand and optimise their financial choices. At HelloSafe, Pauline plays a key role in designing clear, educational content on savings, investments and personal finance. Passionate about financial education, Pauline strives, with every piece of content she oversees, to provide reliable, transparent and unbiased information for independent and informed financial management. To this end, she has tested over 100 trading platforms to help internet users make the right choices.