Circle shares surged as analysts pointed to expanding stablecoin use cases and forecast significant upside as USDC adoption continues to gain traction. Shares of stablecoin issuer Circle surged Monday after the company reported mostly upbeat earnings and disclosed that a major crypto venture capital fund had purchased $222 million worth of its blockchain tokens. Circle’s shares rose almost 16% to close at $131.76, its highest level since March 18, according to Yahoo Finance. CRCL stock gave back some of its gains in initial after-hours activity. The gain extends Circle’s strong run in 2026. Shares are now up 66% year to date, giving the company a market capitalization of roughly $35 billion. Monday’s surge pushed Circle shares closer to Wall Street’s consensus price target of $138.50, according to TipRanks. Among the most bullish analysts is Peter Christiansen of Citigroup, who has a 12-month price target of $243. Gautam Chhugani of Bernstein has set a target of $190. Both analysts, along with 10 others tracked by TipRanks, rate the stock a “buy.” Related: Circle stock sinks 10% amid analyst downgrade, Drift Protocol probe Circle’s rally was driven by a largely upbeat earnings report and fresh details about its expanding blockchain strategy.