Analysts Turn Cautious on Marqeta (MQ) Citing Operational Headwinds

Marqeta Inc. (NASDAQ:MQ), one of the Best Tech Stocks Under $10 to Buy, has shown strong revenue growth of 20.11% over the past 12 months, according to Mizuho analysts in a January 8 report, in which the firm otherwise lowered the stock to Neutral from Outperform and the price target to $4.50 from $8. While Marqeta Inc. (NASDAQ:MQ), one of the best tech stocks under $10 to buy, is expected to see 22% growth for fiscal year 2025, Mizuho believes that the company faces headwinds, including the transitioning of Cash App Card’s new issuance from Marqueta to Bancorp, that might “increasingly erode MQ’s status as the gold standard in next-gen debit programs” while also opening the door to rivals like Stripe and adding pressure on the company’s transaction volumes and pricing.

Mizuho, Wolfe Research Lower Marqueta (MQ) Ratings Citing Headwinds

On the same day, Wolfe Research lowered its rating on Marqeta Inc. (NASDAQ:MQ) to Peerperform from Outperform, citing similar headwinds in the future, while also noting the company’s performance in lending and buy-now-pay-later services, which saw 60% volume growth in the third quarter of 2025.

Marqeta Inc. (NASDAQ:MQ) focuses on the digital payment technology space, having developed a modern card issuing platform. The fintech company provides infrastructure and tools for building configurable payment cards, as well as card issuer processing and card program management services.

While we acknowledge the risk and potential of MQ as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than MQ and that has 10,000% upside potential, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.

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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.