On October 27, Deutsche Bank analyst Brian Bedell raised the price target on CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) to $202 from $200 and maintained a Buy rating on the shares following the "good" Q3 report.
According to Insider Monkey’s data, 60 hedge funds were bullish on CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) at the end of September 2022, compared to 56 funds in the prior quarter. GuardCap Asset Management is the leading position holder in the company, with 4.18 million shares worth $740.4 million.
Like Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA), and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) is one of the premier crypto stocks to watch.
Baron Funds made the following comment about CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) in its Q3 2022 investor letter:
“CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) operates the world’s largest and most diversified derivatives marketplace. Shares fell 13% during the quarter (despite reporting strong average daily trading volume growth of 26% year-over year) due to concerns that EPS growth will slow in 2023 as the rate hike cycle comes to an end. We continue to own the stock due to CME’s strong competitive moats, its product breadth and liquidity depth, its durable growth characteristics driven by the secular shift from uncleared over-the-counter trading to exchange-traded futures, and tailwinds from the rising rate environment.”
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 68
American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) is an American multinational firm that specializes in payment card services. In June 2022, American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) disclosed that Abra Crypto Card on the American Express network will transact in U.S. dollars and offer crypto back on any purchase category. American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) is one of the best crypto stocks to buy according to smart investors.
Based on American Express Company (NYSE:AXP)’s performance to date, the management continues to expect full-year revenue growth of 23% to 25% versus a 25.24% consensus and now stands by its initial full-year EPS guidance range of $9.25 to $9.65, compared to a $9.84 consensus.
On November 29, Redburn analyst Fahed Kunwar initiated coverage of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) with a Neutral rating. The brand power of debit is declining as digital wallets become popular, contended the analyst, who believes the market underestimates the cyclical and structural concerns pressuring card network stocks.
According to Insider Monkey’s Q3 data, 68 hedge funds were bullish on American Express Company (NYSE:AXP), compared to 67 funds in the last quarter. Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway is the leading stakeholder of the company, with 151.6 million shares worth $20.45 billion.
In its Q2 2022 investor letter, ClearBridge Investments, an asset management firm, highlighted a few stocks and American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) was one of them. Here is what the fund said:
“In financials, American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) has done an excellent job demonstrating the resiliency of its franchise in the midst of a global pandemic that drove a 60% decline in its core travel and entertainment business. The company’s spend-centric model has been helped by fiscal stimulus ensuring a flush consumer, while management continues to execute well by adding millions of new consumer and small and medium business accounts, which should benefit the franchise over the medium to long term. We remain optimistic regarding the company’s prospects as travel and entertainment activity rebounds, adding to our position in the quarter.”
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 69
Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC), a California-based computer technology and semiconductor company, is one of the best crypto stocks to monitor. Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) announced in April 2022 its new Intel Blockscale ASIC, offering energy efficient hashing for proof-of-work consensus networks. Intel Blockscale ASIC will provide the energy efficiency and computing power needed to deliver scalable and sustainable operations.
On November 22, Mizuho analyst Vijay Rakesh resumed coverage of Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) with a Neutral rating and a $32 price target. Since his earlier research note on February 18, the analyst thinks Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) has seen higher challenges in both the server and PC markets, with server CPU ramps delayed to 2023 and weaker PC demand. While Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) is regaining some share in PCs, in the core high margin server/data center segment it continues to expect market share loss into 2023, the analyst told investors.
According to the third quarter database of Insider Monkey, 69 hedge funds held stakes worth $1.9 billion in Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC), compared to 65 funds in the last quarter worth $2.5 billion. John Overdeck and David Siegel’s Two Sigma Advisors is one of the biggest stakeholders of the company, with 15.15 million shares valued at $390.5 million.
ClearBridge Investments made the following comment about Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) in its Q3 2022 investor letter:
“Also on the detractor side, Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) delivered a disappointing revenue miss and lowered full-year revenue and earnings guidance as COVID-19-driven demand for PCs abated (where Intel enjoys half its sales) and a delay in its flagship Sapphire Rapids CPU hurt its data center business. Despite these issues, we still believe Intel is an economically sensitive turnaround story with substantial upside.”
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 75
Block, Inc. (NYSE:SQ) is a multinational financial technology company that serves the financial services, mobile payments, and point of sale industries. Block, Inc. (NYSE:SQ)’s Cash App makes it convenient to invest in stocks and Bitcoin. In Q3 2022, Block, Inc. (NYSE:SQ)’s gross profit outperformed Street estimates on the strength of its Cash App and Seller systems, but was partly offset by weaker Buy Now Pay Later gross profit.
On November 16, Mizuho analyst Dan Dolev raised the price target on Block, Inc. (NYSE:SQ) to $69 from $57 and maintained a Neutral rating on the shares. The analyst said payday lending is largely significant to Cash App gross profit growth. Payday lending is a short-term boost to inflows, but it may eventually pressure Block, Inc. (NYSE:SQ)’s multiple as delinquencies across consumer lending continue to increase, the analyst wrote in a research note. This is concerning given Cash App's skew towards lower-income households, added the analyst.
According to Insider Monkey’s data, 75 hedge funds were bullish on Block, Inc. (NYSE:SQ) at the end of September, compared to 72 funds in the prior quarter. Cathie Wood’s ARK Investment Management is the biggest stakeholder of Block, Inc. (NYSE:SQ), with a position worth $505.45 million. It is one of the best crypto stocks to buy according to hedge funds.
In its Q2 2022 investor letter, Baron Funds, an asset management firm, highlighted a few stocks and Block, Inc. (NYSE:SQ) was one of them. 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 fell due to mixed quarterly results with more modest growth in the Seller business offsetting strength in Cash App. While integration of recently acquired Afterpay is progressing well and credit metrics remain healthy, the buy-now-pay-later business slowed due to greater competitive intensity. We continue to own the stock due to Block’s long runway for growth, sustainable competitive advantages, and unique corporate culture.”
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 126
PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL) is a digital payments company that offers financial technology solutions under the PayPal, PayPal Credit, Braintree, Venmo, Xoom, Zettle, Hyperwallet, Honey, and Paidy brands. PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL) announced in August 2022 that users can transfer crypto from PayPal to external crypto addresses for no network charges.
In the PYMNTS survey -- Black Friday 2022: High Prices Reshape Holiday Shopping Habits, November 2022, Wedbush analyst Moshe Katri noted that PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL), an Outperform rated stock, remained a dominant e-commerce payment option.
According to Insider Monkey’s data, 126 hedge funds were bullish on PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL) at the end of Q3 2022, compared to 97 funds in the prior quarter. Ken Fisher’s Fisher Asset Management featured as the leading position holder in the company, with 17.6 million shares worth $1.5 billion.
In addition to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA), and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL) is one of the favorite crypto stocks among smart investors.
Here is what RiverPark Large Growth Fund has to say about PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL) in its Q3 2022 investor letter:
“PayPal, announced better-than-expected 2Q results, positive guidance (including more than $1.3 billion of 2023 cost savings leading to operating margin expansion), a $15 billion stock repurchase program, and the appointment of Blake Jorgensen as CFO, who was previously the well-regarded CFO at Electronic Arts. The company reported 9% revenue growth, in-line with guidance, and $0.93 EPS, exceeding guidance due to robust operating leverage. Management narrowed its 2022 revenue guidance from 11%-13% growth to about 11% growth due to the macro environment but raised its EPS guidance due to greater operating margin leverage and share buybacks. The stock also reacted to the news that activist investor Elliott Management had taken a stake in the company. PYPL operates at significantly lower margins than its payment competitors Visa and Mastercard, and sources suggest that Elliott intends, among other things, to push for the company to improve its margins and drive higher cash flow growth in the near term.
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Disclosure: None. 10 Best Cryptocurrency Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds is originally published on Insider Monkey.
