Circle Internet Stock Surges As Baird Boosts Price Target

by | Mar 17, 2026 | General

Circle Internet Group Inc (NYSE:CRCL) shares jumped on Tuesday after Baird reiterated Outperform and lifted its price target to $138, extending a run that’s been supported by crypto risk-on tape as Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) trades above $74,000.

The Catalyst

Baird maintained its Outperform rating on Circle and raised its price target to $138.00. The update reinforces a constructive Street stance even after the stock’s sharp swings over the past year.

Circle’s rally has been reinforced by multiple target hikes in March, including Mizuho’s Neutral-rated move to $120 from $100 as USDC’s trading-volume share hit 64% versus an average 30% from 2019–2025, a shift that can matter for transaction velocity and network usage. Traders have been tracking that target to $120 as a near-term reference point for how quickly the Street is repricing stablecoin exposure.

In the broader analyst mix, Circle carries a consensus Hold rating with a wide target range that stretches from $60.00 to $235.00.

Circle Technical Analysis

Circle is trading 47.8% above its 20-day SMA and 57.4% above its 100-day SMA, showing strong trend strength but also a stretched distance from key averages. Shares are up 62.79% over the past 12 months and are currently positioned closer to the middle of the 52-week range than either extreme.

RSI is at 78.02, which is overbought and often signals the stock may need to cool off or consolidate even if the trend stays intact. MACD remains bullish with the MACD line at 13.5118 above the signal line at 10.3033 (histogram 3.2085), keeping the momentum backdrop positive.

The combination of overbought RSI (above 70) and bullish MACD suggests mixed momentum.

  • Key Resistance: $147.50
  • Key Support: $122.50

Analyst Consensus & Recent Actions: The stock carries a Hold Rating with an average price target of $125.88. Other recent analyst moves include:

  • Clear Street: Upgraded to Buy (Raises Target to $136.00) (Mar. 16)
  • Mizuho: Neutral (Raises Target to $120.00) (Mar. 13)

Benzinga Edge Rankings: The Benzinga Edge scorecard for Circle highlights its strengths and weaknesses compared to the broader market.

The Verdict: Circle’s Benzinga Edge signal reveals an unscored profile right now, with no published Momentum, Quality, Value or Growth rankings available in the dataset provided. With the scorecard blank, traders will need to lean more heavily on price/indicator behavior (like the overbought RSI and bullish MACD) and upcoming catalysts such as earnings.

CRCL Price Action: Circle shares were up 7.15% at $134.83 at the time of publication on Tuesday, according to Benzinga Pro.

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