Head to Head Contrast: Marathon Digital (NASDAQ:MARA) and Coinbase Global (NASDAQ:COIN)

Coinbase Global (NASDAQ:COIN) and Marathon Digital (NASDAQ:MARA) are both finance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, profitability, dividends, valuation, earnings, risk and analyst recommendations.

Profitability

This table compares Coinbase Global and Marathon Digital’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Coinbase Global	41.99%	15.70%	7.74%
Marathon Digital	100.82%	-2.59%	-1.53%

Risk & Volatility

Coinbase Global has a beta of 3.7, suggesting that its share price is 270% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Marathon Digital has a beta of 5.56, suggesting that its share price is 456% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

68.8% of Coinbase Global shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 44.5% of Marathon Digital shares are owned by institutional investors. 16.6% of Coinbase Global shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.8% of Marathon Digital shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Coinbase Global and Marathon Digital”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Coinbase Global	$6.56 billion	6.29	$2.58 billion	$11.56	13.25
Marathon Digital	$656.38 million	4.36	$541.25 million	$1.80	4.20

Coinbase Global has higher revenue and earnings than Marathon Digital. Marathon Digital is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Coinbase Global, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Coinbase Global and Marathon Digital, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Coinbase Global	1	11	20	0	2.59
Marathon Digital	2	3	8	0	2.46

Coinbase Global currently has a consensus price target of $340.08, suggesting a potential upside of 121.99%. Marathon Digital has a consensus price target of $21.00, suggesting a potential upside of 177.78%. Given Marathon Digital’s higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Marathon Digital is more favorable than Coinbase Global.

Summary

Coinbase Global beats Marathon Digital on 11 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Coinbase Global

Coinbase Global, Inc. provides financial infrastructure and technology for the crypto economy in the United States and internationally. The company offers the primary financial account in the crypto economy for consumers; and a marketplace with a pool of liquidity for transacting in crypto assets for institutions. It also provides technology and services that enable developers to build crypto products and securely accept crypto assets as payment. The company was founded in 2012 and is based in Wilmington, Delaware.

About Marathon Digital

MARA Holdings, Inc. operates as a digital asset technology company that mines digital assets with a focus on the bitcoin ecosystem in United States. The company was formerly known as Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to MARA Holdings, Inc. in August 2024. MARA Holdings, Inc. was incorporated in 2010 and is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.