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Block (SQ) is an online payment and financial services company. Formerly known as Square, the company develops hardware and software to help business operations, including point-of-sale hardware, payments processing and analytics software, a business debit card called Square Card, and a peer-to-peer payment service called Cash App.
The company’s top individual shareholders are Jack Dorsey, Alyssa Henry, and Roelof Botha. The top institutional shareholders of Block are the Vanguard Group, BlackRock, and FMR.
Block generates revenue through two reported segments: Cash App and Seller, the latter of which includes a variety of managed payment services, software, hardware, and other financial services. Its trailing 12-month (TTM) revenue is $20.79 billion, with a TTM net income of -$282.12 million. The company’s market capitalization was $49.07 billion as of Feb. 23, 2024.
Let’s take a closer look at the top shareholders of Block.
Key Takeaways
- Block is an online payment and financial services company that was formerly known as Square.
- The top three individual shareholders of Block are Jack Dorsey, Alyssa Henry, and Roelof Botha.
- Block’s top three institutional shareholders are the Vanguard Group, BlackRock, and FMR.
Top 3 Individual Insider Shareholders
The shares mentioned below are directly owned by individual insider shareholders and do not count shares held indirectly or accessed through stock options.
When company insiders buy or sell company stock, they must file a Form 4 with the SEC disclosing the transaction. 13F forms are used for large money managers who hold more than $100 million in assets, while 13D or 13G forms are used for people or institutions that own more than 5% of a company’s stock. Each of these forms provides a way for investors to track significant positions made by major investors.
The following figures are as of the company’s proxy statement from April 2023 unless otherwise indicated.
Jack Dorsey
Jack Dorsey owns one million shares of Class A Block stock, representing about 0.2% of the total shares outstanding. He also owns about 47.85 million of the company’s Class B stock or roughly 79% of the outstanding shares.
Dorsey, whose net worth as of February 2024 was approximately $4.9 billion, co-founded social networking company X (formerly Twitter) in 2006, before selling the company to Elon Musk in 2022 for $43 billion. He co-founded Block in 2009 and is the company’s chief executive officer (CEO). He is also the chairman of the board.
Alyssa Henry
Alyssa Henry owns 755,712 shares of Block’s Class A common stock. This represents less than 0.13% of shares. Like Dorsey, she also owns Class B stock—153,845 or 0.2% of the total outstanding shares.
Henry joined the company as EVP of infrastructure of Square in 2014. She announced her retirement and left the company in 2023 Henry held leadership roles at Amazon (AMZN) and Microsoft (MSFT).
Roelof Botha
Roelof Botha owns 713,608 Class A Block shares, representing less than 0.13% of shares. Botha is the lead director on the board of Block and has been on the board since 2011. He is a partner at Sequoia Capital and was chief financial officer (CFO) at PayPal.
The term insider refers to people in senior management positions and members of the board of directors, as well as people or entities that own more than 10% of the company’s stock. In this context, it has nothing to do with insider trading.
Top 3 Institutional Shareholders
Institutional investors hold the majority of Block shares. Keep in mind that institutional doesn’t necessarily mean a financial institution. The term refers to the type of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings used to track major investments.
Vanguard Group
Vanguard Group owns 35.51 million shares of Block representing 6.5% of shares outstanding of the company’s Class A stock. The company is primarily a mutual fund and ETF management company with about $7.2 trillion in global assets under management (AUM).
BlackRock
BlackRock (BLK) owns 32.92 million shares of Block as of February 2024, which represents 5.36% of the total shares outstanding. The company is an investment firm that manages about $9.09 trillion in assets, offering mutual funds and iShares exchange-traded funds among other products.
FMR
As of February 2024, FMR holds 20.75 million shares representing 3.38%% of Class A shares outstanding. FMR offers brokerage, investment, and financial services. It also owns Fidelity Investments, which has $4.88 trillion in AUM.
The company’s Total Market Index Fund (FSKAX) holds about 970,000 shares of Block, making up about 0.08% of the portfolio.
Diversity & Inclusiveness of Square (Block)
As part of our effort to improve the awareness of the importance of diversity in companies, we offer investors a glimpse into the transparency of more than just who are the shareholders at Block. We highlight the company’s commitment to diversity, inclusiveness, and social responsibility as a whole. Find out how Block reports the diversity of its management and workforce. The ✔ shows whether Block discloses its data about the diversity of its board of directors, C-Suite, general management, and employees overall across a variety of markets.
| Block Diversity & Inclusiveness Reporting | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race | Gender | Ability | Veteran Status | Sexual Orientation | |
| Board of Directors | |||||
| C-Suite | |||||
| General Management | ✔ (U.S. Only) | ✔ | |||
| Employees | ✔ (U.S. Only) | ✔ | ✔ | ||
Is Block the Same As Square?
Block is an online payment and financial services company. It was founded in 2009 as Square. The company decided to adopt the name Block for the corporate entity and retained the Square identity for its seller business. The goal of the name change was to distinguish “the corporate entity from its businesses, or building blocks.”
What Is Jack Dorsey’s Role at Block?
Jack Dorsey is the co-founder and CEO of Block. He is also chairman of the company’s board of directors.
What Is Fintech?
Fintech is what most people refer to as financial technology. Fintech companies use technology to provide financial services to end users, such as businesses and consumers. It allows them to manage their finances with ease. Companies like Block, Stripe, Intuit, and Robinhood are among the key players in the fintech sector.
The Bottom Line
Block is a key player in the fintech industry, providing online financial and payment services to end users. The company, which was founded as Square in 2009, is headed by former X (formerly Twitter) CEO Jack Dorsey, who is the top individual shareholder. Other key shareholders include former Square CEO Alyssa Henry and board member Roelof Botha. The top institutional shareholders are Vanguard, BlackRock, and FMR.