MARA (NASDAQ:MARA) Stock Jumps 4.4% – Here’s Why

Shares of MARA Holdings (NASDAQ:MARA) were up 4.4% during trading on Wednesday. The stock traded as high as $7.95 and last traded at $7.66. 48,780,744 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 8% from the average session volume of 45,052,918 shares. The stock had previously closed at $7.34.

Key MARA News

Investors following MARA have been watching these news items:

• Positive Sentiment: MARA authorized a $500 million share repurchase program and used proceeds from selling 13,597 bitcoin—about $1.1 billion—to repay its $750 million in bitcoin-backed loans. The moves reduce collateral and debt risk and may signal confidence in the stock. MARA Holdings turned bitcoin into debt relief and buybacks
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue fell about 35% year over year to $164.2 million, below expectations, as lower bitcoin-related mining revenue outweighed increased production. Reported profit was substantially helped by a gain in bitcoin’s value, so it may not reflect stronger underlying mining operations. Needham cuts MARA estimates after Q3 mining miss
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst reactions are divided: Needham lowered earnings estimates, while JPMorgan cut its target from $11 to $9 and maintained an Underweight rating. A Seeking Alpha contributor also downgraded the stock, citing an AI transformation that has yet to materialize. MARA rating downgrade

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MARA. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $11.00 target price (down from $13.00) on shares of MARA in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. Morgan Stanley set a $10.00 price target on MARA and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on MARA from $11.00 to $9.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their price objective on MARA from $14.00 to $12.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded MARA from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $16.00.

MARA Trading Up 4.4%

The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $9.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $10.65. The firm has a market cap of $2.96 billion, a P/E ratio of -0.94 and a beta of 5.23. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15.

MARA (NASDAQ:MARA) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 9th. The business services provider reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.39) by $1.67. The firm had revenue of $164.23 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $183.24 million. MARA had a negative net margin of 411.23% and a negative return on equity of 37.38%. As a group, research analysts predict that MARA Holdings will post -2.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at MARA

In other news, CFO Salman Khan sold 16,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.21, for a total transaction of $147,360.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 377,066 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,472,777.86. This represents a 4.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, General Counsel Zabi Nowaid sold 8,376 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.00, for a total value of $100,512.00. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel owned 898,780 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,785,360. This trade represents a 0.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 134,396 shares of company stock valued at $1,311,490. 0.97% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MARA. Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its stake in MARA by 19.0% during the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 42,009 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $476,000 after acquiring an additional 6,699 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its stake in shares of MARA by 12.1% in the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 2,033,777 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $23,043,000 after acquiring an additional 219,097 shares during the period. Edgestream Partners L.P. purchased a new position in shares of MARA during the third quarter worth $4,679,000. Western Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of MARA by 7.2% during the third quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 28,383 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $322,000 after purchasing an additional 1,894 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ground Swell Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of MARA during the third quarter worth $162,000. 44.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About MARA

MARA Holdings, Inc., formerly known as Marathon Digital Holdings, is a digital energy and infrastructure company focused primarily on Bitcoin mining. It develops and operates data-center infrastructure and specialized computing systems used to validate transactions on the Bitcoin network and earn bitcoin rewards. The company also works on energy-related strategies to support its computing operations, including using energy sources and infrastructure that can help power data centers. Its operations are concentrated in the United States, with expansion into international markets.