Billionaire Ray Dalio’s Bridgewater’s 10 Stock Picks with Huge Upside Potential

5. Block, Inc. (NYSE:XYZ)

Bridgewater Associates Stake Value: $104,538,210

Upside Potential as of May 2: 43.43%

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 81

Block, Inc. (NYSE:XYZ) is a US-based financial technology company. Formerly known as Square Inc., the company offers point-of-sale hardware and software that allow businesses to easily accept credit card payments. It also offers the Cash App platform, which enables peer-to-peer money transfers and bitcoin trading.

Block, Inc.’s (NYSE:XYZ) Q1 2025 earnings report just came out and shows disappointing results. Revenue came in at $5.77 billion against the $6.20 billion forecast. EPS was $0.56, well below the analyst expectations of $0.87. The underwhelming performance has a lot to do with a slowdown in the Cash App segment. This segment saw gross profit growth decelerate to just 10% year-over-year, down from 25% in the previous year.

CEO Jack Dorsey acknowledged in his letter to shareholders. “Our growth in the first half of this year does not meet our bar,” he owned up. The company’s Square segment performed better, with a gross profit of $898 million, a 9% increase.

The earnings miss prompted Block, Inc. (NYSE:XYZ) to cut its profit forecast for 2025. It reduced its guidance for annual gross profit growth from 15% to 12%. The company cited concerns about consumer spending patterns, particularly noting a pronounced impact on discretionary spending in travel and media.

CFO Amrita Ahuja explained that they are “operating in a more dynamic macro environment,” which has led them to adopt “a more cautious stance on the macro outlook.”

On May 2, 2025, Raymond James maintained an Outperform rating on Block, Inc. (NYSE:XYZ) but reduced the price target from $103.00 to $74.00. The adjustment follows the company’s first-quarter results, which presented a mixed financial picture, the firm wrote in a research note.