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CRCL vs. NU: Circle Internet vs. Nu Holdings Stock Comparison

How do Circle Internet (CRCL) and Nu Holdings (NU) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Circle Internet (CRCL) is classified in the Information Technology sector (Software & Services), whereas Nu Holdings (NU) belongs to Financials (Banks) — their GICS classifications point to very different parts of the market.

Company profile comparison for Circle Internet (CRCL) and Nu Holdings (NU)
Profile ItemCRCLNU
NameCircle Internet Group, Inc. Class ANu Holdings Ltd. Class A Ordinary Shares
Country/RegionUnited StatesBrazil
GICS SectorInformation TechnologyFinancials
GICS Industry GroupSoftware & ServicesBanks
GICS IndustrySoftwareBanks
GICS Sub-IndustryApplication SoftwareDiversified Banks
Market Capitalization17.41 billion USD58.11 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateJune 5, 2025December 9, 2021
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CRCL
NU
GSPC
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Circle Internet (CRCL) vs. Nu Holdings (NU), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Circle Internet (CRCL) and Nu Holdings (NU). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Circle Internet (CRCL) and Nu Holdings (NU). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Circle Internet (CRCL) and Nu Holdings (NU)
MetricCRCLNU
Total Return (1Y)-33.88%-22.46%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)--14.21%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)----

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CRCL
NU
GSPC
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Circle Internet (CRCL) vs. Nu Holdings (NU), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Circle Internet (CRCL) and Nu Holdings (NU). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Circle Internet (CRCL) and Nu Holdings (NU)
MetricCRCLNU
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)96.01%46.14%
Beta (5Y)0.840.94
Max Drawdown (5Y)-80.93%-72.07%
Avg. Volume (3M)12.74M80.53M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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CRCL and NU are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. Each dashed Capital Allocation Line uses that stock's own industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Circle Internet (CRCL) and Nu Holdings (NU)
MetricCRCLNU
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.40-0.58
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.61-0.78

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Nu Holdings (NU) at 31.63% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Circle Internet (CRCL) at 13.44%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

CRCL

Software & Services industry group

13.44%

Max
53.85%
Q3
17.90%
CRCL
13.44%
Median
6.59%
Q1
-9.59%
Min
-50.52%

NU

Banks industry group

31.63%

NU
31.63%
Max
19.84%
Q3
13.67%
Median
11.49%
Q1
9.50%
Min
3.64%
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Circle Internet (CRCL) vs. Nu Holdings (NU): A comparison of their ROE against their respective Software & Services and Banks industry group benchmarks.

Net Margin (TTM)

Nu Holdings (NU) at 42.73% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Circle Internet (CRCL) at 15.28%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

CRCL

Software & Services industry group

15.28%

Max
41.17%
CRCL
15.28%
Q3
15.28%
Median
4.63%
Q1
-5.42%
Min
-33.17%

NU

Banks industry group

42.73%

Max
47.19%
NU
42.73%
Q3
35.25%
Median
31.21%
Q1
27.11%
Min
14.93%
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Circle Internet (CRCL) vs. Nu Holdings (NU): A comparison of their net margin against their respective Software & Services and Banks industry group benchmarks.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Circle Internet (CRCL) reports operating margin of 24.09%; Nu Holdings (NU) doesn’t report a comparable line — in Banks, funding costs sit inside the core business rather than below an operating line, so profitability is better judged on net margin or ROE.

CRCL

Software & Services industry group

24.09%

Max
46.89%
CRCL
24.09%
Q3
17.64%
Median
8.73%
Q1
-2.13%
Min
-30.45%

NU

Banks industry group

--

NU
--
Max
--
Q3
--
Median
--
Q1
--
Min
--
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Circle Internet (CRCL) vs. Nu Holdings (NU): NU’s operating margin is not assessed under the Banks industry convention, so the chart shows available visual context for CRCL only.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Circle Internet (CRCL) and Nu Holdings (NU)
MetricCRCLNU
ROE (TTM)13.44%31.63%
ROA (TTM)0.28%4.96%
Net Margin (TTM)15.28%42.73%
Operating Margin (TTM)24.09%--
Gross Margin (TTM)26.58%--

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both companies are growing quickly, but Circle Internet (CRCL) at 63.86% is the standout with revenue growth above its industry range; Nu Holdings (NU) at 28.51% also sits in the top quartile.

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Circle Internet (CRCL) vs. Nu Holdings (NU): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Nu Holdings (NU) at 44.92% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Circle Internet (CRCL) at -640.54% falls below its industry range — a large difference in per-share earnings trajectories.

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Circle Internet (CRCL) vs. Nu Holdings (NU): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Circle Internet (CRCL) and Nu Holdings (NU)
MetricCRCLNU
Revenue Growth (YoY)63.86%28.51%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)52.66%52.93%
EPS Growth (YoY)-640.54%44.92%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)----

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Circle Internet (CRCL) shows current ratio of 1.04; Nu Holdings (NU) doesn’t get one — Banks balance sheets aren’t split into current and non-current buckets, so short-term liquidity there is judged through regulatory measures instead.

CRCL

Software & Services industry group

1.04

Max
5.11
Q3
2.77
Median
1.67
CRCL
1.04
Q1
1.01
Min
0.03

NU

Banks industry group

--

NU
--
Max
--
Q3
--
Median
--
Q1
--
Min
--
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Circle Internet (CRCL) vs. Nu Holdings (NU): NU’s current ratio is not assessed under the Banks industry convention, so the chart shows available visual context for CRCL only.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Circle Internet (CRCL) shows debt-to-equity ratio of 0.00; for Nu Holdings (NU) the ratio is set aside — in Banks, balance-sheet leverage is part of the business model itself, so capital-adequacy measures do the job this ratio does elsewhere.

CRCL

Software & Services industry group

0.00

Max
2.52
Q3
1.13
Median
0.40
Q1
0.07
CRCL
0.00
Min
0.00

NU

Banks industry group

--

NU
--
Max
--
Q3
--
Median
--
Q1
--
Min
--
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Circle Internet (CRCL) vs. Nu Holdings (NU): NU’s debt-to-equity ratio is not assessed under the Banks industry convention, so the chart shows available visual context for CRCL only.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Circle Internet (CRCL) and Nu Holdings (NU)
MetricCRCLNU
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.04--
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.00--
Net Debt / EBITDA-4.68--

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Neither Circle Internet (CRCL) nor Nu Holdings (NU) pays a dividend this period — they may reinvest, use buybacks, or simply not return cash through dividends.

CRCL

Software & Services industry group

0.00%

CRCL
0.00%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

NU

Banks industry group

0.00%

Max
5.79%
Q3
3.18%
Median
2.39%
Q1
1.20%
NU
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Circle Internet (CRCL) vs. Nu Holdings (NU): A comparison of their dividend yield against their respective Software & Services and Banks industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Neither Circle Internet (CRCL) nor Nu Holdings (NU) pays a dividend this period — they may reinvest, use buybacks, or simply not return cash through dividends.

CRCL

Software & Services industry group

0.00%

CRCL
0.00%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

NU

Banks industry group

0.00%

Max
70.75%
Q3
41.28%
Median
29.26%
Q1
18.98%
NU
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Circle Internet (CRCL) vs. Nu Holdings (NU): A comparison of their payout ratio against their respective Software & Services and Banks industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Circle Internet (CRCL) and Nu Holdings (NU)
MetricCRCLNU
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Circle Internet (CRCL) at 40.89 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Nu Holdings (NU) at 16.48 sits in the richer quartile — NU needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

CRCL

Software & Services industry group

40.89

Max
112.94
Q3
60.32
CRCL
40.89
Median
32.91
Q1
18.77
Min
6.69

NU

Banks industry group

16.48

Max
18.16
NU
16.48
Q3
13.75
Median
11.81
Q1
10.64
Min
6.49
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Circle Internet (CRCL) vs. Nu Holdings (NU): A comparison of their P/E ratio against their respective Software & Services and Banks industry group benchmarks.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Circle Internet (CRCL) shows P/S ratio of 5.75; for Nu Holdings (NU) the multiple is skipped — in Banks, income is dominated by interest spread rather than a conventional revenue line, so pricing per dollar of sales loses meaning and book- or earnings-based multiples carry the comparison.

CRCL

Software & Services industry group

5.75

Max
17.91
Q3
8.78
CRCL
5.75
Median
4.25
Q1
2.23
Min
0.02

NU

Banks industry group

--

NU
--
Max
--
Q3
--
Median
--
Q1
--
Min
--
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Circle Internet (CRCL) vs. Nu Holdings (NU): NU’s P/S ratio is not assessed under the Banks industry convention, so the chart shows available visual context for CRCL only.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Circle Internet (CRCL) at 4.50 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Nu Holdings (NU) at 4.39 prices above its benchmark range — NU looks rich relative to book.

CRCL

Software & Services industry group

4.50

Max
16.63
Q3
8.50
CRCL
4.50
Median
4.30
Q1
1.92
Min
-3.90

NU

Banks industry group

4.39

NU
4.39
Max
2.28
Q3
1.58
Median
1.32
Q1
1.10
Min
0.59
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Circle Internet (CRCL) vs. Nu Holdings (NU): A comparison of their P/B ratio against their respective Software & Services and Banks industry group benchmarks.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Circle Internet (CRCL) and Nu Holdings (NU)
MetricCRCLNU
P/E Ratio (TTM)40.8916.48
P/S Ratio (TTM)5.75--
P/B Ratio (MRQ)4.504.39
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)1.43%--