Core Scientific Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NASDAQ:CORZ)

Key Points

• Options activity surged: Investors purchased 141,404 CORZ call options, approximately 55% above the average volume, signaling elevated speculative interest. Shares traded near $20.75 with volume more than twice the average.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish: Core Scientific has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $30.39, with several firms recently raising targets. However, the company’s latest reported quarterly loss of $1.06 per share significantly missed expectations, while revenue rose 44.9% year over year.
• AI-infrastructure growth brings both opportunity and risk: Core Scientific’s shift toward AI data-center services is driving sharply higher colocation revenue and attracting institutional buying, but the expansion requires substantial capital spending and could lead to dilution through newly issued warrants. Insider selling and a recent analyst downgrade add caution.

Core Scientific, Inc. (NASDAQ:CORZ - Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading on Tuesday. Stock investors purchased 141,404 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 55% compared to the average volume of 91,193 call options.

Core Scientific Trading Up 0.0%

CORZ stock traded up $0.01 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $20.75. The company's stock had a trading volume of 27,656,519 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,600,461. The stock has a market cap of $6.60 billion, a PE ratio of -18.20 and a beta of 5.50. Core Scientific has a fifty-two week low of $12.60 and a fifty-two week high of $30.46. The company's 50 day moving average is $25.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $20.74.

Core Scientific (NASDAQ:CORZ - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported ($1.06) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by ($1.04). The firm had revenue of $115.24 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $117.04 million. Core Scientific's revenue was up 44.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.25 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Core Scientific will post 0.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CORZ has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Lucid Cap Mkts raised shares of Core Scientific to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Core Scientific from $24.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on shares of Core Scientific from $25.00 to $29.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $32.00 target price on shares of Core Scientific in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, B. Riley Financial boosted their target price on shares of Core Scientific from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $30.39.

Core Scientific News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Core Scientific this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AMD partnership creates major AI-infrastructure opportunity: Core Scientific agreed to provide AMD with access to up to 2.5 gigawatts of data-center capacity. The initial 530-megawatt deployment is backed by 15-year agreements across five sites and represents approximately $14 billion in potential base contracted revenue. Core Scientific signs AI infrastructure deal with AMD
• Positive Sentiment: AI transition is already lifting colocation revenue: Second-quarter revenue reached $164.2 million, with colocation revenue reportedly rising to $136.7 million from $10.6 million a year earlier. The company also reported adjusted EBITDA of $41.1 million, highlighting the potential for more stable, recurring revenue compared with cryptocurrency mining. Core Scientific Announces Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain bullish: Needham reaffirmed its “buy” rating with a $29 price target, while BTIG reiterated “buy” and maintained a $38 target. The targets reflect confidence that the AI-infrastructure pivot can materially improve Core Scientific’s long-term valuation.
• Positive Sentiment: Options activity signals speculative bullish interest: Investors purchased 141,404 call options Tuesday, 55% above the typical call volume of 91,193 contracts. This does not guarantee further gains, but it indicates elevated expectations for the shares.
• Neutral Sentiment: Adjusted earnings beat, but accounting results were weak: Zacks reported adjusted quarterly EPS of $0.18 versus expectations for a $0.02 loss. Separately, Core Scientific reported a GAAP loss of $3.32 per share, largely reflecting non-cash warrant fair-value adjustments, making the headline earnings result highly volatile.
• Negative Sentiment: Execution, financing and dilution risks remain: Core Scientific spent approximately $797.5 million on capital expenditures during the quarter to convert mining sites for AI workloads. AMD also received warrants to purchase 30 million CORZ shares at $23.47, creating potential dilution if the expansion proceeds.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and a recent downgrade temper enthusiasm: Director Todd M. Duchene sold 10,000 shares for $223,000, while Keefe, Bruyette & Woods downgraded the stock to “market perform,” despite assigning a $25 price target.

Insider Transactions at Core Scientific

In other Core Scientific news, insider Todd M. Duchene sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.30, for a total value of $223,000.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 1,999,101 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $44,579,952.30. This trade represents a 0.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 80,000 shares of company stock worth $2,025,400 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Core Scientific

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Core Scientific by 106.1% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 283,432 shares of the company's stock worth $2,052,000 after acquiring an additional 145,905 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in shares of Core Scientific by 180.9% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,109,387 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,032,000 after acquiring an additional 714,388 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its position in shares of Core Scientific by 200.0% during the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 38,819 shares of the company's stock valued at $663,000 after acquiring an additional 25,878 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Core Scientific in the second quarter valued at about $181,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Core Scientific by 61.9% in the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 3,942 shares of the company's stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 1,507 shares during the period.

Core Scientific Company Profile

Core Scientific, Inc NASDAQ: CORZ is a leading provider of large-scale blockchain infrastructure and digital asset mining services. The company develops, owns and operates high-performance data centers optimized for the mining of Bitcoin and other proof-of-work cryptocurrencies. In addition to its core mining operations, Core Scientific offers colocation, hosting and managed services designed to support institutional clients and enterprise users in deploying and scaling blockchain nodes and computing hardware.

Core Scientific's service portfolio includes hardware procurement, deployment and maintenance, real-time monitoring, power management and network connectivity.

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