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Circle Rallies After Clear Street Upgrade, Extending USDC-Fueled Rebound

Analysts point to surging USDC utility as the engine of stronger earnings.

Overview

  • Clear Street upgraded CRCL to Buy with a $136 target, lifting shares 7–9% Monday to roughly $124–$126, with the stock later near $134.83 on Tuesday for its strongest levels since October.
  • Baird raised its price target to $138 and Mizuho lifted to $120, reinforcing a mid-March wave of target hikes after a multi-week rebound of more than 100% from February lows.
  • USDC circulation reached a reported record near $79 billion, with an average of $75.2 billion through March 15, tied to tokenized assets, prediction markets, Middle East remittances, and early AI-agent payments.
  • Circle beat Q4 expectations with EPS of $0.43 versus a $0.25 consensus and revenue of $770.23 million, supported by reserve interest income that leaves earnings sensitive to short-term rates.
  • Insider filings show roughly 493,056 shares sold in recent weeks worth about $47.5 million, while regulatory scrutiny and CLARITY Act negotiations remain key variables that Clear Street suggests could clear by late summer.