MARA (NASDAQ:MARA) Stock Falls 14.4% – Time to Sell?

MARA Holdings (NASDAQ:MARA) fell 14.4% on Thursday. The stock traded as low as $5.69 and last traded at $5.88. 42,133,412 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 6% from the average daily volume of 44,980,211 shares. The stock had previously closed at $6.87.

MARA News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting MARA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved MARA’s acquisition of Long Ridge Energy & Power, finding it consistent with the public interest. The deal would add a 505-megawatt power plant and more than 1,600 acres for a digital infrastructure campus; closing is expected in the coming weeks. The approval clears a key regulatory condition for the transaction. FERC approval announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Bitcoin-investor flows were mixed in the second quarter: some large investors added exposure, while hedge funds reduced Bitcoin ETF holdings by 22%. The report offers broader context for MARA’s crypto-linked business, but does not establish a clear near-term direction for the stock. Bitcoin ETF ownership report
• Negative Sentiment: MARA transferred 1,650 BTC, valued at about $132.8 million, to Galaxy Digital, Copper and other platforms. The reports do not establish whether the Bitcoin was sold, but the movement may raise investor questions about treasury management and funding for the company’s expansion. Bitcoin transfer report
• Negative Sentiment: The Long Ridge purchase is part of a capital-intensive AI and high-performance-computing push, alongside Texas land spending. Reports cite roughly $1.51 billion for the power plant and financing that includes debt and a Bitcoin-backed loan, leaving execution, leverage and returns as significant risks. MARA expansion and financing overview
• Negative Sentiment: Recent coverage described MARA shares sliding below $6, underscoring fragile sentiment amid volatility in Bitcoin-related stocks. CEO Frederick Thiel also sold 27,505 shares under a pre-arranged 10b5-1 plan; the sale was a small reduction in his holdings, but may add to investor caution. MARA share-price coverage

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MARA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Rosenblatt Securities restated a “buy” rating and issued a $15.00 target price on shares of MARA in a report on Friday, August 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their price target on MARA from $14.00 to $12.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 7th. HC Wainwright assumed coverage on MARA in a research report on Friday, September 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $20.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings cut MARA from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d-)” rating in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded MARA from an “overweight” rating to an “underweight” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $13.00 to $11.00 in a report on Monday, September 14th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MARA presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $17.78.

MARA Stock Down 14.4%

The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $10.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $10.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 0.89. The company has a market cap of $2.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.64 and a beta of 5.23.

MARA (NASDAQ:MARA) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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). MARA had a negative return on equity of 26.05% and a negative net margin of 429.71%. The company had revenue of $174.88 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $209.44 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.84 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 26.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that MARA Holdings will post -1.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at MARA

In other MARA news, General Counsel Zabi Nowaid sold 8,376 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.00, for a total value of $100,512.00. Following the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 898,780 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,785,360. This represents a 0.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, 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 the firm’s 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. Insiders have sold 134,396 shares of company stock worth $1,311,490 over the last 90 days. 0.97% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MARA. RHL Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of MARA during the 3rd quarter worth $123,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in MARA by 25.9% in the 3rd quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 44,682 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $506,000 after buying an additional 9,191 shares during the last quarter. Inscription Capital LLC bought a new position in MARA in the 3rd quarter worth $115,000. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its holdings in MARA by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 185,917 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,106,000 after acquiring an additional 3,335 shares during the period. Finally, Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in MARA during the 3rd quarter worth $90,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.