Analysts Turn Cautious on Marqeta (MQ) Citing Operational Headwinds

Marqeta Inc. (NASDAQ:MQ), one of the Best Tech Stocks Under $10 to Buy, has shown strong revenue growth of 20.11% over the past 12 months, according to Mizuho analysts in a January 8 report, in which the firm otherwise lowered the stock to Neutral from Outperform and the price target to $4.50 from $8. While Marqeta Inc. (NASDAQ:MQ), one of the best tech stocks under $10 to buy, is expected to see 22% growth for fiscal year 2025, Mizuho believes that the company faces headwinds, including the transitioning of Cash App Card’s new issuance from Marqueta to Bancorp, that might “increasingly erode MQ’s status as the gold standard in next-gen debit programs” while also opening the door to rivals like Stripe and adding pressure on the company’s transaction volumes and pricing.

On the same day, Wolfe Research lowered its rating on Marqeta Inc. (NASDAQ:MQ) to Peerperform from Outperform, citing similar headwinds in the future, while also noting the company’s performance in lending and buy-now-pay-later services, which saw 60% volume growth in the third quarter of 2025.

Marqeta Inc. (NASDAQ:MQ) focuses on the digital payment technology space, having developed a modern card issuing platform. The fintech company provides infrastructure and tools for building configurable payment cards, as well as card issuer processing and card program management services.

While we acknowledge the potential of Marqeta Inc. (NASDAQ: MQ) as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you’re looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.

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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.