Block’s (XYZ) rally on Friday is putting payment fintechs in the spotlight, though momentum remains scarce. A screen of transaction and payment processing services stocks shows just three names with A-rated momentum grades.
The Jack Dorsey-led company saw its shares surge double-digits after announcing that would slash its headcount to just under 6K from 10K, with Dorsey attributing the drastic change to AI. In addition, Block (XYZ) issued strong guidance for 2026 and the first quarter of the year, and Q4 earnings merely matched the Wall Street consensus.
Against that backdrop, momentum leadership within payments remains highly concentrated. Only three stocks currently carry A-rated momentum grades: Sezzle (SEZL), StoneCo (STNE) and NCR Atleos Corp. (NATL). Each stock in the group is up at least 10% year-to-date and holds an overall Quant rating of Hold. XYZ, by comparison, is still down around 3% YTD and carries an overall Quant rating of Hold.