LIVE
CRCL
Circle Internet Group · Financial Technology
$63.01
-19.05% this month
VERSUS
⟷
COMPARE
HOOD
Robinhood Markets, Inc. · Financial Technology
$112.24
+20.44% this month
Scoreboard verdict
Across AI score, momentum, valuation, upside, operating margin
CRCL
2
HOOD
2
Comparison scoreboard
MIXED SETUPAI Score
CRCL 22.4
HOOD ✓39.0
1Y Return
CRCL -69.22%
HOOD ✓+12.28%
Fwd P/E
CRCL ✓33.27
HOOD 36.32
Target Up.
CRCL ✓+98.28%
HOOD +4.87%
Op. Margin
CRCL N/A
HOOD N/A
Metrics last refreshed: 7/14/2026
Quick take
CRCL vs HOOD: Circle vs Robinhood Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
Circle is a stablecoin infrastructure company earning reserve income on USDC collateral, while Robinhood is a retail brokerage platform earning trading and subscription revenue. Both benefit from crypto adoption, but through different mechanisms: Circle from stablecoin supply growth; Robinhood from trading activity cycles.
CRCL vs HOOD is stablecoin infrastructure versus retail trading platform — Circle wins if USDC stablecoin supply becomes large, durable digital finance infrastructure; Robinhood wins if crypto bull markets and product diversification (credit cards, retirement, international) grow AUC and recurring revenue.
Live analysis · updated 7/14/2026
CRCL and HOOD are closely matched — they split the tracked metrics evenly. HOOD has delivered stronger 1-year price return (+12.28% vs -69.22%), though CRCL has the better forward P/E setup (33.27x vs 36.32x for HOOD). Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for CRCL (+98.28%) than for HOOD (+4.87%).
Normalized 1Y performance
CRCL
HOOD
Recent returns
CRCL
HOOD
Analyst price targets & sentiment
CRCL · 22 analysts
STRONG BUYHOLDSTRONG SELL
Buy (2.1/5.0)
Price target range
analyst low$55.00
analyst high$243.00
analyst mean$124.94
current price$63.01
+98.3% upside to analyst mean
HOOD · 26 analysts
STRONG BUYHOLDSTRONG SELL
Buy (1.7/5.0)
Price target range
analyst low$52.00
analyst high$156.80
analyst mean$117.67
current price$112.24
+4.9% upside to analyst mean
Who should consider this stock?
CRCL may suit investors who:
- →want stablecoin infrastructure exposure with reserve income model
- →prefer less cyclical crypto exposure than brokerage trading volumes
- →believe USDC becomes mainstream payment and settlement infrastructure
- →are comfortable with IPO-stage valuation and interest rate sensitivity
HOOD may suit investors who:
- →want retail brokerage and fintech exposure to young, wealth-accumulating customers
- →believe Robinhood's credit card, Gold subscription, and international expansion diversify revenue
- →are comfortable with crypto market cycle exposure in trading revenues
- →prefer an established operating business vs a stablecoin issuer at IPO stage
Performance & AI score
| Metric | CRCL | HOOD |
|---|---|---|
| AI score | 22.4 | 39.0 |
| AI rank | #4151 | #1283 |
| Latest close | $63.01 | $112.24 |
| 1M return | -19.05% | +20.44% |
| 6M return | -23.99% | -4.50% |
| 1Y return | -69.22% | +12.28% |
$10,000 invested — hypothetical growth (dividends reinvested)
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | CRCL | HOOD |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $3.08K (-69.2%) started 2025-07-14 | $11.23K (+12.3%) started 2025-07-14 |
| 5Y ago | $7.57K (-24.3%) started 2025-06-05 | $32.23K (+222.3%) started 2021-07-29 |
| 10Y ago | $7.57K (-24.3%) started 2025-06-05 | $32.23K (+222.3%) started 2021-07-29 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
Valuation & upside potential
| Metric | CRCL | HOOD |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $16.84B | $101.05B |
| Trailing P/E | N/A | 54.21 |
| Forward P/E | 33.27 | 36.32 |
| Price/Sales | 5.88 | 21.90 |
| EV/Revenue | 4.95 | 20.30 |
| Analyst target | $124.94 | $117.67 |
| Target upside | +98.28% | +4.87% |
Growth, profitability & risk
| Metric | CRCL | HOOD |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | 20.00% | 15.10% |
| Earnings growth | -80.90% | 2.70% |
| EPS growth | -80.90% | +2.70% |
| FCF margin | -4.94% | N/A |
| Operating margin | N/A | N/A |
| Profit margin | -2.76% | 41.12% |
| ROIC proxy | -2.98% | 21.46% |
| Return on equity | -2.98% | 21.46% |
| Dividend yield | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Beta | 2.30 | 2.34 |
| Debt/equity | 0.43 | 140.48 |
| Current ratio | 1.03 | 1.11 |
| Quick ratio | 0.02 | 1.07 |
Drawdown & downside risk
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
1Y risk snapshot
CRCL max drawdown78.63%
HOOD max drawdown57.26%
CRCL max wkly drop29.00%
HOOD max wkly drop28.21%
5Y risk snapshot
CRCL max drawdown80.93%
HOOD max drawdown90.21%
CRCL max wkly drop31.19%
HOOD max wkly drop28.21%
10Y risk snapshot
CRCL max drawdown80.93%
HOOD max drawdown90.21%
CRCL max wkly drop31.19%
HOOD max wkly drop28.21%
Performance metrics by period
| Period | Metric | CRCL | HOOD |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growth | -69.22% | +12.28% |
| CAGR | -69.24% | +12.29% | |
| Sharpe ratio | -0.77 | 0.45 | |
| Max drawdown | 78.63% | 57.26% | |
| Max daily drop | 20.11% | 13.24% | |
| Max wkly drop | 29.00% | 28.21% | |
| 5Y | Growth | -24.29% | +222.33% |
| CAGR | -22.25% | +26.62% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.28 | 0.62 | |
| Max drawdown | 80.93% | 90.21% | |
| Max daily drop | 20.11% | 27.59% | |
| Max wkly drop | 31.19% | 28.21% | |
| 10Y | Growth | -24.29% | +222.33% |
| CAGR | -22.25% | +26.62% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.28 | 0.62 | |
| Max drawdown | 80.93% | 90.21% | |
| Max daily drop | 20.11% | 27.59% | |
| Max wkly drop | 31.19% | 28.21% |
Business comparison
| Category | CRCL | HOOD |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Circle Internet Group | Robinhood Markets, Inc. |
| Sector | Financial Technology | Financial Technology |
| Industry | N/A | N/A |
| Core business | Issuer of USDC stablecoin used for crypto trading, DeFi, payments, and institutional settlement. Circle earns reserve income on USDC collateral and platform fees. | Commission-free brokerage offering equity, options, and crypto trading alongside retirement accounts, credit cards, and international expansion. Robinhood has become an increasingly comprehensive retail financial services platform. |
| Investor focus | USDC circulation growth, reserve yield, regulatory clarity, and stablecoin payment adoption beyond crypto-native use cases. | Assets under custody (AUC) growth, options trading revenue, crypto trading volumes in bull markets, credit card launch, and international brokerage expansion. |
CRCL strengths
- →USDC is the most institutionally trusted regulated stablecoin with deep exchange and DeFi integration
- →Reserve income model creates financial alignment with stablecoin adoption growth
- →Stablecoin regulation as a tailwind if US legislation mandates regulated issuers
HOOD strengths
- →Robinhood Gold subscription and options PFOF revenue provide more recurring revenue than pure crypto trading
- →Credit card launch gives Robinhood a high-margin, sticky financial services product
- →Young, growing customer base means long lifetime value potential as users accumulate wealth
Risks to watch — CRCL
- →Interest rate sensitivity reduces reserve income in low-rate environments
- →Competition from PayPal PYUSD, bank stablecoins, and CBDC programs
- →Post-IPO growth expectations are aggressive relative to current revenue
Risks to watch — HOOD
- →Crypto trading revenue is highly cyclical — bear market volumes collapse significantly
- →PFOF regulatory risk could compress options trading revenue if SEC limits payment-for-order-flow
- →Competition from Fidelity, Schwab, and Coinbase across stock, options, and crypto trading
Frequently asked questions
Free public comparison
Want deeper AI forecasts?
This comparison page is public and free forever. Subscribers can unlock saved watchlists, full AI rankings, detailed forecasts, and interactive analysis tools.
Related comparisons
More comparisons
Browse all 1,000 comparisons →