Marathon Digital (NASDAQ:MARA) Shares Up 5.8% – Here’s What Happened

Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:MARA) shares shot up 5.8% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $9.84 and last traded at $8.94. 102,137,764 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 119% from the average session volume of 46,678,949 shares. The stock had previously closed at $8.45.

Key Marathon Digital News

Here are the key news stories impacting Marathon Digital this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Major strategic pivot: MARA announced a partnership with Starwood to convert Bitcoin-mining campuses into AI/HPC-ready data centers (targeting ~1 GW near-term, larger ambitions after). This reframes Marathon as an AI/infra play and reduces pure Bitcoin-price exposure. MARA’s AI Data Center Pivot: Starwood Partnership Targets 2.5 GW
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction to the AI venture: reporters and traders bid the stock up after the partnership was disclosed, citing the potential for steadier, higher-margin revenue from AI infrastructure. Marathon Digital surges 13% on AI infrastructure venture
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual bullish options flow: investors bought ~346,617 call contracts (≈36% above typical daily call volume), signaling speculative/hedged bullish positioning that can amplify upside moves intraday. (No external link provided.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald adjusted its model: the firm lowered its price target from $21 to $11 but kept an “overweight” rating — the new PT still implies upside from current levels, though the cut signals raised near-term uncertainty. Cantor Fitzgerald price target cut
• Neutral Sentiment: HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on MARA, leaving analyst sentiment mixed across the street. HC Wainwright rating
• Negative Sentiment: Weak quarter and large non‑cash loss: Q4 results missed expectations — EPS well below estimates and revenue below consensus — driven in part by Bitcoin price-related fair‑value adjustments. The miss increases short-term volatility risk and gives analysts reason to trim models. MARA Q4 2025 Earnings Call Highlights

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MARA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on Marathon Digital from $26.00 to $16.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Marathon Digital from $20.00 to $13.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Compass Point upgraded shares of Marathon Digital from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $30.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Marathon Digital in a report on Monday, February 9th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $8.00 price target for the company. Finally, HC Wainwright reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Marathon Digital in a report on Friday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marathon Digital has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $20.00.

Marathon Digital Stock Performance

The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $9.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $13.48. The company has a quick ratio of 2.09, a current ratio of 2.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The company has a market capitalization of $3.38 billion, a PE ratio of -2.26 and a beta of 5.56.

Marathon Digital (NASDAQ:MARA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The business services provider reported ($4.52) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.23) by ($4.29). The firm had revenue of $202.31 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $250.74 million. Marathon Digital had a negative return on equity of 17.88% and a negative net margin of 144.58%.The business’s revenue was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.24 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. will post -1.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marathon Digital

In related news, CEO Frederick G. Thiel sold 27,505 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.80, for a total value of $297,054.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 3,517,566 shares in the company, valued at $37,989,712.80. The trade was a 0.78% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Salman Hassan Khan sold 34,732 shares of Marathon Digital stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.48, for a total transaction of $398,723.36. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 248,566 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,853,537.68. The trade was a 12.26% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 133,247 shares of company stock valued at $1,325,255 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marathon Digital

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MARA. Hollencrest Capital Management grew its holdings in shares of Marathon Digital by 2,407.4% during the third quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 1,354 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 1,300 shares in the last quarter. Estabrook Capital Management acquired a new position in Marathon Digital in the second quarter valued at $31,000. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in Marathon Digital by 56.8% during the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,819 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 659 shares during the period. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. acquired a new stake in Marathon Digital in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in Marathon Digital by 344.8% in the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 5,022 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 3,893 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 44.53% of the company’s stock.

About Marathon Digital

Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc is a digital asset technology company specializing in the mining and acquisition of bitcoin. Headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, the firm employs high-performance application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) miners and proprietary software to secure the Bitcoin network and expand its crypto-mining footprint. Marathon Digital focuses on operational efficiency and scalability, while maintaining rigorous standards for regulatory compliance and corporate governance.

The company operates multiple large-scale mining facilities throughout North America, including sites in Texas, Montana and New York.