MARA (NASDAQ:MARA) Shares Up 8% – Here’s Why

MARA Holdings (NASDAQ:MARA) shares rose 8% during mid-day trading on Friday. The stock traded as high as $6.42 and last traded at $6.35. Approximately 34,555,312 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 23% from the average daily volume of 44,936,359 shares. The stock had previously closed at $5.88.

MARA News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting MARA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Options activity showed investors bought 321,997 MARA call options on Friday—53% above the average daily volume. This may signal increased bullish positioning, though options activity does not guarantee a share-price rise.
• Positive Sentiment: FERC approved MARA’s acquisition of Long Ridge Energy & Power, clearing a key regulatory hurdle for the expected closing in the coming weeks. The deal adds a 505 MW power plant and more than 1,600 acres that MARA plans to use for digital infrastructure, including AI and high-performance computing. FERC approval announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: MARA transferred 1,650 BTC, valued at about $132.8 million, to institutional platforms. The move may relate to treasury management or funding its expansion, but the reports do not establish how the bitcoin will be used. Report on MARA’s bitcoin transfers
• Negative Sentiment: Shares came under pressure amid a broader selloff in AI data-center-related stocks and bitcoin miners. That weakness overshadowed the Long Ridge regulatory approval, with reports describing a sharp decline in MARA shares. Report on MARA’s decline and sector selloff
• Negative Sentiment: Another report attributed pressure on the stock to insider selling, which can weigh on investor sentiment. Report on insider selling

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on MARA. Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their target price on MARA from $14.00 to $12.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $15.00 price target on shares of MARA in a research note on Friday, August 7th. HC Wainwright started coverage on shares of MARA in a research report on Friday, September 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $20.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of MARA from an “overweight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $13.00 to $11.00 in a research note on Monday, September 14th. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $11.00 price objective (down from $13.00) on shares of MARA in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MARA currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $17.78.

MARA Stock Up 8.0%

The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The company has a market cap of $2.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.69 and a beta of 5.23. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $9.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is $10.68.

MARA (NASDAQ:MARA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The business services provider reported ($1.60) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.17 by ($1.77). The firm had revenue of $174.88 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $209.44 million. MARA had a negative net margin of 429.71% and a negative return on equity of 26.05%. MARA’s revenue for the quarter was down 26.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.84 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that MARA Holdings will post -2.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MARA news, General Counsel Zabi Nowaid sold 8,376 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.00, for a total value of $100,512.00. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 898,780 shares in the company, valued at $10,785,360. This trade represents a 0.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Salman Khan sold 16,000 shares of MARA stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.21, for a total value of $147,360.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 377,066 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,472,777.86. This trade represents a 4.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 134,396 shares of company stock worth $1,311,490. Corporate insiders own 0.97% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MARA. Diversified Trust Co acquired a new stake in MARA during the 3rd quarter worth $463,000. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System boosted its stake in MARA by 55.9% in the third quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 86,449 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $979,000 after acquiring an additional 30,995 shares in the last quarter. RHL Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of MARA during the third quarter worth about $123,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of MARA by 25.9% during the third quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 44,682 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $506,000 after purchasing an additional 9,191 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Inscription Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of MARA during the third quarter worth about $115,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 44.53% of the company’s stock.

MARA Company Profile

MARA Holdings, Inc (NASDAQ: MARA), formerly known as Marathon Digital Holdings, is a digital asset mining and energy infrastructure company. Its primary business is securing the Bitcoin network by operating specialized computing equipment that validates transactions and earns Bitcoin rewards.

The company develops and operates data centers and digital asset computing infrastructure, while also pursuing strategies to access low-cost and surplus energy. MARA has expanded its operations through a combination of owned facilities, hosting arrangements and acquisitions, with activities spanning North America and other international markets.

The company was founded in 2010 as Marathon Patent Group and later shifted its focus toward cryptocurrency mining before adopting the Marathon Digital name.