CRCL vs IREN Stock Comparison
CRCL currently leads IREN in this stock comparison, with AIQ scores of 40 vs 29. The clearest difference is momentum, while IREN has the stronger value profile.
What is the main difference between CRCL and IREN?
CRCL leads the current stock comparison as Circle Internet Group, with the clearest separation coming from momentum and the broader AIQ evidence mix.
AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison
Circle Internet Group vs IREN Limited
CRCL leads
CRCL leads by 11 AIQ points, primarily on Momentum and Quality, and the lead has widened from 7 points over 30 sessions. Wall Street currently favors IREN on target upside.
Fragile: 3 of 6 evidence groups support CRCL, and its lead is widening.
Circle Internet Group
IREN Limited
The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors CRCL over IREN, 40 versus 29 as of Oct 21, 2026. CRCL's advantage is driven primarily by stronger momentum and quality, while IREN holds the stronger value profile. CRCL also shows the stronger technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average, though analyst target upside currently favors IREN. 3 of 6 covered evidence groups favor CRCL today, and the comparison is rated Fragile on stability: only 3 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. CRCL lead: Strengthening — the AIQ differential moved from 7 to 11 points over 30 sessions.
Compare Circle Internet Group and IREN Limited across the Algovestiq AIQ Score, valuation, quality, momentum, risk, technicals and analyst expectations.
Performance over time
Price return from daily closes; distributions are not included.
Price return comparison
Growth of $10,000, price only
Split-adjusted closes only. Distributions are excluded, which understates the return of any fund or stock that pays them.
Compare CRCL and IREN against another ticker
Open a multi-ticker workspace without changing this focused pair page.
AIQ Factor Divergence
Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.
- Momentum46 vs 20CRCL +26
- Quality53 vs 32CRCL +21
- Value24 vs 34IREN +10
- Risk Resilience33 vs 30Even
3 of 6 evidence groups favor CRCL. CRCL’s edge is concentrated in momentum and quality; IREN keeps a meaningful value edge.
What changed since the last close
Latest scored session 2026-10-20, compared against the prior scored session 2026-10-19.
Largest factor move: Momentum +8
No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 4 active signals are unchanged.
No factor moved materially.
New signals
- 52-Week Low Proximity — bearish, risk, long horizon (1.9%)
CRCL's lead widened by 2 AIQ points in the latest session.
Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — CRCL and IREN both carry a full feed there.
The central trade-off
CRCL (Circle Internet Group): the stronger current systematic profile, led by momentum and quality.
IREN (IREN Limited): the counter-case, on value, valuation, analyst expectations.
The AIQ Score and Wall Street therefore point in different directions on this pair.
Which one fits your objective
The same two names rank differently depending on what you are optimizing for. All six reads are shown at once — none of them is hidden behind a toggle.
Balanced
CRCLCRCL on the overall AIQ Score, which weights Quality and Value most heavily.
Growth
CRCLCRCL on combined revenue and EPS growth.
Value
IRENIREN on the peer-relative Value factor, by 10 points.
Momentum
CRCLCRCL on the Momentum factor, by 26 points.
Lower downside
CRCLCRCL carries the lower 1-month annualized volatility.
Analyst upside
IRENIREN on implied upside to the consensus price target.
AIQ vs Wall Street
The model and the Street disagree here: AIQ favors CRCL, analyst targets favor IREN. That disagreement is the most useful thing on this page.
| Measure | CRCL | IREN | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Implied upside to target | +1.8% | +184.9% | IREN has more room |
| Target dispersion | +123.7% | +75.7% | Lower is tighter analyst agreement |
| Consensus | Hold | Buy | Context, not a primary driver |
| Analysts covering | 14 | 11 | Higher coverage generally improves confidence |
The two are measuring different things. The AIQ Score reads current fundamentals, valuation, trend and risk; analyst targets price forward expectations. A divergence of this kind is either a contrarian opportunity or a sign the model is missing something already priced in — it is worth resolving before acting on either.
Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions. Dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.
AIQ Agreement Matrix
3 of 6 covered evidence groups favor CRCL. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.
| Evidence group | Favors | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| AIQ Score | CRCL | 40 vs 29 |
| Fundamentals | CRCLon balance | revenue growth 1% vs -5.2%; EPS growth -17.4% vs -38.5%; TTM ROE 13.6% vs -23%; gross margin 20% vs 68.9%; operating margin 8.2% vs -148.1% — CRCL takes 4 of 5 decided legs, not all of them |
| Valuation | IREN | Value 24 vs 34 |
| Technicals | CRCL | Price vs 50-day 4.2% vs -31.2%; vs 200-day -0.3% vs -40.4% |
| Risk Resilience | Even | Risk Resilience 33 vs 30 |
| Analyst expectations | IREN | Target upside 1.8% vs 184.9% |
✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of CRCL and IREN and are excluded from the count.
AIQ Decision Stability
The conclusion is sensitive to small changes. Treat the lead as provisional and watch the flip conditions below.
- The AIQ gap is moderate at 11 points.
- Only 3 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- The leader's advantage has been widening. (supports the conclusion holding)
- Analyst targets on the leader are widely dispersed. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on CRCL.
How the comparison changed
120 daily snapshots · Jun 21 – Oct 20CRCL lead: Strengthening — the AIQ differential moved from 7 to 11 points over 30 sessions.
- Today
- CRCL +11
- 40 vs 29
- 7 sessions ago
- CRCL +13
- 43 vs 30
- 30 sessions ago
- CRCL +7
- 39 vs 32
- 90 sessions ago
- CRCL +4
- 47 vs 43
The lead changed hands 5 times in this window, most recently on Oct 5 when CRCL moved ahead of IREN.
AIQ Signal Divergence
Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.
0 bullish / 3 bearish / 1 neutral
No signal that the other name lacks.
1 bullish / 5 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted
Only IREN
- Keltner Channel Breakdown — bearish, volatility, short horizon
- RSI Oversold - Potential Bounce — bullish, momentum, short horizon
- 52-Week Low Proximity — bearish, risk, long horizon (1.9%)
Both carry 4 more signals that do not separate them: Death Cross Active, ATR Expansion - Breakout Mode, Downtrend Structure Active, MACD Bearish Crossover.
IREN is conflicted, so the timing case there is weaker than the score alone suggests.
Price vs model alignment
Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.
Price and the AIQ Score both moved up over the latest session (price +4.47%, AIQ +2 points).
Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price +4.58%, AIQ 0 points).
What would flip this result
A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.
- 1IREN closes the Momentum gap — currently 26 points behind, the largest single contributor to CRCL's edge.
- 2IREN's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it.
- 3CRCL starts generating bearish momentum or trend signals.
- 4A regime shift changes factor weighting — Quality and Value carry the heaviest weights in the composite, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.
The full evidence
Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.
Fundamentals
CRCL leads on balance| Metric | CRCL | IREN |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth (YoY) | 1% | -5.2% |
| EPS growth (YoY) | -17.4% | -38.5% |
| Gross margin | 20% | 68.9% |
| Operating margin | 8.2% | -148.1% |
| Return on equity (TTM) | 13.6% | -23% |
| Debt to equity | 0 | 1.87 |
Performance
CRCL leads 6 of 6 windows| Metric | CRCL | IREN |
|---|---|---|
| 1 week (5 sessions) | 1.9% | -23.5% |
| 1 month (20 sessions) | -9.2% | -41.4% |
| 3 months (63 sessions) | 29.8% | -35.5% |
| 6 months (126 sessions) | -10.6% | -41.1% |
| Year to date | 8.3% | -22.2% |
| 1 year (252 sessions) | -33.2% | -56.9% |
Technicals
CRCL has the stronger structure| Metric | CRCL | IREN |
|---|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 55.2 | 13.5 |
| ADX (14) | 12.9 | 26.3 |
| Price vs 50-day | 4.2% | -31.2% |
| Price vs 200-day | -0.3% | -40.4% |
| Volatility (1M, annualized) | 60.6% | 65.1% |
Risk
Split| Metric | CRCL | IREN |
|---|---|---|
| Beta | 2.95 | 3.96 |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.03 | -0.28 |
| Sortino ratio | 0.05 | -0.53 |
| Max drawdown | -64.6% | -65.2% |
| Current drawdown | -39.5% | -65.2% |
| Annualized volatility | 96.7% | 107.2% |
| Value at risk (95%) | -8.4% | -10% |
Straight answers
Each answer is regenerated from the current snapshot, not written once and left to age.
Which is better, CRCL or IREN?
On the Algovestiq AIQ Score, CRCL is the stronger of the two as of Oct 21, 2026, scoring 40 against IREN's 29. The edge comes from momentum and quality. IREN is not without a case — it holds the better value profile, which matters more if that is the objective you are optimizing for. This is a systematic score, not a recommendation: it ranks the two on the same evidence, it does not know your holding period or tax position.
Is CRCL or IREN the better buy right now?
CRCL carries the stronger systematic profile as of Oct 21, 2026, and the comparison is rated Fragile — 3 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. A Fragile rating means the conclusion is sensitive: only 3 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. Treat the lead as provisional.
Why does the AIQ Score favor CRCL over IREN?
The composite weights Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk Resilience. CRCL leads Momentum by 26 points; CRCL leads Quality by 21 points; IREN leads Value by 10 points. Where the two split, the factor with the larger weight carries the result.
Which has more analyst upside, CRCL or IREN?
Analyst price targets imply +1.8% upside for CRCL and +184.9% for IREN, so the Street currently favors IREN. That points the opposite way to the AIQ Score, which favors CRCL. The two are measuring different things: the model reads current fundamentals, valuation, trend and risk; the Street is pricing forward expectations. A divergence of this kind is either a contrarian opportunity or a sign the model is missing something the analysts have already priced — it is the single most useful row on this page to investigate. Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions, and dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.
Which is better value, CRCL or IREN?
IREN is the better-valued of the two on the peer-relative Value factor. IREN on the peer-relative Value factor, by 10 points. The Value factor reads valuation relative to sector peers and to the company's own fundamental quality, so it is not the same as simply having the lower multiple.
Which has stronger growth, CRCL or IREN?
CRCL on combined revenue and EPS growth. Growth here is measured on reported revenue and earnings, not on forward estimates — it describes what the businesses have delivered, not what the Street expects next.
Which has stronger momentum, CRCL or IREN?
CRCL on the Momentum factor, by 26 points. Momentum is one of the four weighted factors in the AIQ composite. It has documented persistence over three- to twelve-month horizons, which makes it a timing input rather than a reason to hold something indefinitely.
Which is riskier, CRCL or IREN?
CRCL is the more resilient of the two, so the other name carries the higher downside risk. CRCL carries the lower 1-month annualized volatility. Risk Resilience is a weighted factor in the composite; position sizing usually responds to it more usefully than the buy/avoid decision does.
Is CRCL more profitable than IREN?
The profitability evidence is mixed: gross margin 20% vs 68.9%; operating margin 8.2% vs -148.1%; ttm roe 13.6% vs -23%. CRCL leads on two measures and IREN on one measure, and there is no single profitability composite that resolves the split — which of the two reads as "more profitable" depends on whether you weight pricing power or operating leverage.
Is CRCL's lead over IREN getting stronger or weaker?
CRCL lead: Strengthening — the AIQ differential moved from 7 to 11 points over 30 sessions. This is measured from 120 daily comparison snapshots between 2026-06-21 and 2026-10-20. The lead has changed hands 5 times in that window, most recently on 2026-10-05, when CRCL moved ahead of IREN.
What would change the CRCL vs IREN verdict?
The result is a state, not a forecast, so it changes when the underlying evidence changes. Concretely: IREN closes the Momentum gap — currently 26 points behind, the largest single contributor to CRCL's edge; IREN's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it; CRCL starts generating bearish momentum or trend signals; a regime shift changes factor weighting — Quality and Value carry the heaviest weights in the composite, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.
What do the current signals say about CRCL and IREN?
CRCL: 0 bullish / 3 bearish / 1 neutral. IREN: 1 bullish / 5 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted. A conflicted state means bullish and bearish rules are active on the same name at once — the technical evidence is not pointing one way, and a decision taken on it carries more timing risk. The most decision-relevant rule on CRCL is Death Cross Active (bearish, long horizon). On IREN it is Death Cross Active (bearish, long horizon).
Compare CRCL and IREN with others
Continue your research
This page answers which of the two. These answer the questions on either side of it.
How this comparison is scored
The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk, each carrying a fixed weight. Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.
The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.
How to use side-by-side comparison →This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.