B. Riley Financial Raises Strategy (NASDAQ:MSTR) Price Target to $188.00

Key Points

• B. Riley Financial raised its price target on Strategy (NASDAQ:MSTR) to $188 (from $175) and kept a "buy" rating, implying roughly a 30.97% upside$350.20.
• Strategy disclosed a roughly $1.0B purchase of 13,927 BTC~11.5% coupon, raising fixed cash obligations and refinancing risk.
• The company reported a steep quarterly loss (EPS ($42.93)) with a negative net margin, and insiders have been selling shares recently (including director and CFO sales totaling 17,452 shares over 90 days), adding governance and confidence concerns for investors.

Strategy (NASDAQ:MSTR - Get Free Report) had its target price hoisted by analysts at B. Riley Financial from $175.00 to $188.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has a "buy" rating on the software maker's stock. B. Riley Financial's target price suggests a potential upside of 30.97% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other research firms have also issued reports on MSTR. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Strategy in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Strategy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Sunday, February 8th. Texas Capital upgraded Strategy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Strategy in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, BTIG Research reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Strategy in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Strategy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $350.20.

Strategy Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MSTR opened at $143.54 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.91 billion, a P/E ratio of -7.80 and a beta of 3.55. The business has a 50-day moving average of $132.37 and a two-hundred day moving average of $184.00. Strategy has a fifty-two week low of $104.17 and a fifty-two week high of $457.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 5.62 and a quick ratio of 5.62.

Strategy (NASDAQ:MSTR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The software maker reported ($42.93) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $46.02 by ($88.95). Strategy had a negative return on equity of 8.74% and a negative net margin of 806.34%.The company had revenue of $122.99 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $117.42 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($3.03) earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Strategy news, Director Jarrod M. Patten sold 3,400 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.65, for a total transaction of $444,210.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 28,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,658,200. The trade was a 10.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Andrew Kang sold 2,373 shares of Strategy stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.33, for a total value of $328,257.09. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 26,772 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,703,370.76. The trade was a 8.14% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 17,452 shares of company stock worth $2,338,569. Insiders own 8.46% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Strategy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Federated Hermes Inc. acquired a new position in Strategy in the 2nd quarter valued at $396,000. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Strategy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $202,000. Sei Investments Co. raised its position in Strategy by 136.0% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 39,905 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $16,125,000 after purchasing an additional 22,999 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its holdings in shares of Strategy by 59.4% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 19,215 shares of the software maker's stock worth $7,767,000 after acquiring an additional 7,158 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Strategy by 22.0% during the second quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 3,055 shares of the software maker's stock worth $1,235,000 after purchasing an additional 550 shares during the period. 59.84% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Strategy News

Here are the key news stories impacting Strategy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strategy disclosed a roughly $1.0B purchase of 13,927 BTC (avg ~$71.9k/coin), materially increasing its bitcoin treasury and reinforcing the company’s narrative as a corporate bitcoin accumulator. This direct crypto exposure is the primary upside driver for the shares. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Trading in Strategy’s new perpetual preferred (STRC) exploded (record daily volume), providing the liquidity Management used to fund bitcoin purchases without issuing common equity — a catalyst for short‑term buying interest. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Broader bitcoin strength (mid‑$70k range) and supportive analyst commentary have lifted sentiment and led some price‑target upgrades — MSTR often trades as a leveraged proxy to BTC, so crypto rallies tend to push the stock higher. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market coverage continues to frame MSTR as a leveraged, two‑business story (software + bitcoin treasury). That framing helps value‑oriented investors compare upside vs. crypto‑specific risks, but it also highlights volatility and accounting complexities. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Some market notes flag that Strategy’s bitcoin buying pace may slow around the STRC ex‑dividend date and preferred share technicals could affect short‑term BTC supply/demand dynamics — an uncertain impact. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: The $1B purchase was largely funded via STRC preferreds that carry a high coupon (~11.5% reported), increasing fixed cash obligations and adding complexity and refinancing risk to Strategy’s capital structure — a clear negative for long‑term equity holders. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Director Jarrod M. Patten sold 3,400 shares on April 13, reducing his stake — the timing of director sales amid heavy corporate buying can raise governance/psychology concerns for investors. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Questions over Strategy’s proprietary “bitcoin gain” metrics (a reported $1.3B April BTC gain) have prompted skeptical coverage arguing those figures sidestep large unrealized accounting losses — this can dampen confidence and increase volatility. Read More.

Strategy Company Profile

Strategy, formerly known as MicroStrategy, Incorporated NASDAQ: MSTR is a global provider of enterprise analytics and mobility software. The company’s flagship platform offers business intelligence, data discovery, and advanced visualizations that enable organizations to analyze large volumes of data and deliver actionable insights. In addition to traditional on-premises deployments, Strategy provides a range of cloud-based services and managed offerings that allow customers to leverage the power of its analytics tools without managing complex infrastructure.

Founded in 1989 by Michael J.

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