Circle Shares Predicted to Rise 60% More Amid USDC Growth

Circle's shares have been on a tear lately, more than doubling in recent weeks after an earnings beat triggered a short squeeze. But analysts at Bernstein say there's still room for growth, predicting that Circle (CRCL) shares could rise another 60% to reach $190.

The brokerage issued its price target this week, rating the stock as 'outperform.' Analyst Gautam Chhugani led the team behind the report. According to Bernstein, Circle's payments network is expanding rapidly, with annualized volume reaching $5.7 billion earlier this year through about 55 institutions.

USDC supply dipped briefly after a liquidity shock in October but has since recovered to near its record high of $78 billion. Meanwhile, adjusted stablecoin transaction volumes grew more than 90% year-over-year, and Visa now supports over 130 stablecoin-linked cards across 50 countries, with annualized settlement volume running at approximately $4.6 billion.

Bernstein also flagged AI-driven agentic finance as a potential future demand driver for Circle's USDC, citing the increasing use of autonomous software agents in online transactions that could benefit from low-cost stablecoin payments.