We recently published a list of 10 Best Affordable Tech Stocks to Buy According to Analysts. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Block, Inc. (NYSE:SQ) stands against the other affordable tech stocks.

Undoubtedly, technology continues to change rapidly. In a tech-rich world, investors and analysts have a lot to pick from. As we all know, Artificial Intelligence (Al) dominated conversations over the last couple of years.

US stocks have seen some revival from their recent lows as the economic data has provided confidence about the health of the US economy. The Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund has seen a run-up of over ~19% on a YTD basis. Much of this rally in the IT space was led by optimism about AI technology. However, some hints about the rate cuts also supported the broader increase.

As per the latest data, the global Al market has been pegged at $196.63 billion (according to estimates from Grand View Research). This exhibits a rise of ~$60 billion since 2022. This growth stemmed from increased practical use cases of Al technology, ranging from content creation to self-driving cars.

Growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Extended Reality (XR)

Al should continue to advance rapidly, with an improved focus on areas including natural language processing, computer vision, and generative Al. PWC reported that ~45% of total economic gains by 2030 should come from product enhancements, fueling consumer demand. Al is expected to drive greater product variety, with higher personalization, attractiveness, and affordability. The greatest economic gains from Al are expected to be in China (26% boost to GDP in 2030) and North America (14.5% boost). This equates to $10.7 trillion and will account for ~70% of the global economic impact.

Extended Reality (XR), which is known as the convergence of Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR), is expected to create immersive experiences throughout industries, mainly in gaming and entertainment. The increased use of smartphones, higher adoption of smart electronic devices, and deployments of 5G technology are expected to act as key growth drivers of the extended reality market in North America.

Notably, media companies have explored the possibility of using XR technology as a medium to tell stories and as an advertising outlet for numerous years. The interactive ad campaigns and product visualization components of XR should help drive growth in the advertising industry.

Cybersecurity Technology – Need and Emergence

The cybersecurity technology market has been pegged at US$190.4 billion in 2023, and this should touch US$298.5 billion in 2028 (according to data from Markets and Markets). This represents a CAGR of ~9.4%. Such healthy growth is expected to stem from the increased sophistication of cyber threats, the expansion of the digital landscape, and the pressing need for data protection. Therefore, cybersecurity solutions like data encryption, firewalls, and antivirus software are being used to protect and transfer data.

Technologies ranging from AI, machine learning (ML), and automation are being widely used in cybersecurity technology to improve threat detection and predictive analytics. The higher demand for industrial robots together with the growing adoption of managed security services should help create new opportunities in the market. Also, robotic cybersecurity solutions tend to protect endpoints and connectivity stacks help in preventing data leaks and asset downtimes.

Trends in Robotics

Robotic automation has seen wide acceptance throughout industries because of the introduction of digitization and the Industry 4.0 revolution. As a result, there has been a drastic change in traditional production and operational procedures. In Industry 4.0, smart factories are developed in a way that the machines can collaborate with human workers and other machines in real-time. This is done by using cloud computing, IoT, and cyber-physical systems.

The emergence of numerous techniques focused on production control and the introduction of automation solutions continue to make the key components of present production improvement policies. Apart from this, the awareness of industrial robots led to their deployment across manufacturing and healthcare industries. Moreover, demand is majorly driven by higher labor charges, which has prompted manufacturers to replace human labor with machines. Notably, Asia and Europe are tagged as the key growth regions of the world.

Growth in smart factories or smart manufacturing is expected to stem from rapid digitalization across varied industries and higher demand for industrial automation. A further factor that is expected to support growth over the next few years is the extensive use of manufacturing execution systems (MES) along with sophisticated data models for process-specific operations. The market for smart factories continues to see traction due to the increased use of reconditioned industrial robots and radio frequency identification (RFID) systems.

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Block, Inc. (NYSE:SQ)

Forward P/E as of 23 August: 18.87x

Upside Potential: 37.70%

Expected EPS Growth This Year: 100%

Block, Inc. (NYSE:SQ) operates as a financial services and digital payments company. It develops a payments platform aimed at small and medium businesses, allowing them to accept credit card payments and use tablet computers as payment registers.

Both Cash App’s growth and the direction of its merchant business are key to the company’s stock. The Square Cash App supports individuals in managing their money, buying stocks and cryptocurrency, and more. Therefore, new banking services could be an important driver for Cash App’s growth. Block, Inc. (NYSE:SQ)’s adjusted EBITDA margin went up from 17% in 2020 to 24% in 2023. The company anticipates this to touch 33% this year. Cost reduction is expected to act as an enabler.

The company’s interconnectedness of the ecosystem which they have manufactured should continue to act as a tailwind. Even though switching from one POS system to another might be simple, Block, Inc. (NYSE:SQ)’s fully integrated financial services software, which consists of credit card processing, payroll, and other offerings, makes its customers dependent on the firm.

Also, Block, Inc. (NYSE:SQ) has a significant bank of data, which competitors find hard to replicate.  Given Block, Inc. (NYSE:SQ)’s customer (Cash App) and merchant (Square) side offerings, it can capitalize on its market through a double-ended collection of data, providing an opportunity for innovation.

In the second quarter of 2024, the number of hedge funds with stakes in Block, Inc. (NYSE:SQ) stood at 59, according to Insider Monkey’s database.

Analysts at Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “Outperform” rating on the shares of the company. They gave a price target of $88.00 on 2^nd August. Baron Funds, an investment management company, released its second-quarter 2024 investor letter. Here is what the fund said:

“Block, Inc. (NYSE:SQ) provides point-of-sale technology to small businesses and operates the Cash App ecosystem of financial services for individuals. Shares gave back gains from earlier this year despite reporting strong quarterly results and raising full-year guidance. In the first quarter, gross profit grew 22% and EBITDA grew 91%, both exceeding Street expectations. Given the strong start to the year, second-quarter guidance of 16% to 17% gross profit growth may have disappointed some investors. Management remains committed to a “Rule of 40” investment framework in 2026 with at least mid-teens gross profit growth and a mid-20% operating margin. We continue to own the stock due to Block’s long runway for growth, durable competitive advantages, and innovative product offering.”

Overall SQ ranks 4th on our list of the best affordable tech stocks to buy according to analysts. While we acknowledge the potential of SQ as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some deeply undervalued AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for a deeply undervalued AI stock that is more promising than SQ but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

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