Joby Aviation closes $591 million stock offering with full underwriter option
NEW YORK - Square, a prominent player in the financial services industry with a market capitalization of $48.36 billion, announced significant updates to its Square AI assistant on Wednesday, adding external data integration capabilities that allow small businesses to access weather, events, news, and reviews information alongside their business metrics. According to InvestingPro analysis, the company appears undervalued at current levels, suggesting potential upside for investors.
The enhanced AI tool, first introduced in beta earlier this year, now enables merchants to make more informed decisions about inventory, staffing, and menu planning based on local neighborhood insights, according to the company’s announcement during its biannual product release event. With a strong gross profit margin of 39.64% and healthy liquidity demonstrated by a current ratio of 1.96, Square continues to invest in innovative solutions while maintaining robust financial fundamentals.
New features include the ability to pin data visualizations to the Square Dashboard, access conversation history, and use the AI assistant via mobile devices. The mobile integration adds voice control capabilities for merchants who need insights while away from their desks.
"Square AI will save me about 100 hours this year," said Ryan Hester, co-owner of Comfortably Chic, a retailer with five locations in New Jersey, who has used the tool to project sales and make inventory decisions.
Square also introduced AI-Powered Voice Ordering, which handles incoming phone calls with conversational AI to take customer orders even during peak hours. The system sends confirmed orders directly to the kitchen or point-of-sale system, reducing errors and freeing staff for other tasks.
Additionally, the company launched Order Guide, an AI-powered procurement tool that centralizes vendor data for restaurants. The system can automatically convert menus into ingredient lists and provide insights across suppliers.
According to Willem Ave, Global Head of Product for Square, the enhancements aim to help merchants "make data-driven decisions" and "react in real-time to information, like weather forecasts or holiday patterns."
Square reported that sellers have asked nearly 200,000 questions during the ongoing open beta of Square AI, which helped inform the new features announced today.
The company positions itself as one of the few technology providers building AI tools specifically for brick-and-mortar businesses, with a focus on simplifying operations and supporting growth for local merchants. With a perfect Piotroski Score of 9, Square demonstrates exceptional financial strength. For deeper insights into Square’s AI initiatives and financial outlook, InvestingPro subscribers can access comprehensive analysis and 12 additional ProTips in our detailed research report, part of our coverage of 1,400+ top US stocks.
In other recent news, Block Inc. has introduced a new integrated bitcoin payments and wallet solution called Square Bitcoin, designed specifically for small businesses. This platform allows merchants to accept bitcoin payments with zero processing fees for the first year and offers tools for converting card sales into bitcoin. Additionally, Katz’s Delicatessen has partnered with Square to modernize its operations using Square’s commerce platform, while still maintaining its traditional culinary offerings.
In terms of financial analysis, Jefferies has maintained its Buy rating and a $90 price target on Block Inc., observing a decline in job listings for sales roles, which they interpret as a positive sign for future payment volume growth. Canaccord Genuity has reiterated its Buy rating with an $80 target, noting Block’s increased full-year guidance, which projects significant growth in gross profit and adjusted operating income. Furthermore, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods has reaffirmed an Outperform rating with a $95 price target, expressing optimism about Block’s growth potential and the possibility of exceeding second-half expectations, assuming stable macroeconomic conditions.
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