Strs Ohio Increases Stake in Cipher Mining Inc. $CIFR

Key Points

• Institutional buying: STRS Ohio raised its stake in Cipher Mining by 965% to 63,900 shares (worth $943,000), while Millennium Management opened a $9.3M position and Goldman Sachs boosted its holdings to 4.68M shares; institutional ownership stands at about 12.26%.
• Strategic pivot and financing: Cipher is shifting toward hyperscale AI/data‑center hosting, announced a third hyperscale lease, said development timelines are on track, and secured a $200 million revolving credit facility to support buildouts.
• Near‑term financial pressure: Q1 results missed estimates (EPS -$0.28 vs. -$0.27; revenue $34.84M vs. ~$36.1M), revenue fell 28.8% YoY and the company reported negative margins, while analyst views remain mixed (consensus "Moderate Buy", average target $25.79) and insiders have sold stock.

Strs Ohio raised its stake in Cipher Mining Inc. (NASDAQ:CIFR - Free Report) by 965.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 63,900 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 57,900 shares during the quarter. Strs Ohio's holdings in Cipher Mining were worth $943,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CIFR. Millennium Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Cipher Mining in the first quarter worth $9,316,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in Cipher Mining by 52.4% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,680,219 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,765,000 after buying an additional 1,610,073 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. purchased a new stake in Cipher Mining during the 2nd quarter valued at $98,000. Prudential Financial Inc. grew its holdings in Cipher Mining by 113.7% in the 2nd quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 31,595 shares of the company's stock worth $151,000 after acquiring an additional 16,810 shares during the last quarter. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd grew its holdings in Cipher Mining by 65.2% in the 2nd quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 29,708 shares of the company's stock worth $142,000 after acquiring an additional 11,725 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 12.26% of the company's stock.

Cipher Mining News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Cipher Mining this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Cipher announced a third AI data‑center campus lease with an investment‑grade hyperscale tenant, reports its Barber Lake and Black Pearl development timelines are on track, and secured a $200 million revolving credit facility to support buildouts — tangible execution steps that support long‑term revenue diversification. Cipher Digital Provides First Quarter 2026 Business Update
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support increased: HC Wainwright raised its price target to $30 (buy), and BTIG reaffirmed a buy with a $25 target — both imply meaningful upside versus the recent price and can provide near‑term buying interest. HC Wainwright price target raise / analyst coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Cipher is catching the same AI/data‑center bid that lifted peers (e.g., Hut 8); sector momentum around high‑performance computing leases is supporting Cipher’s multiple expansion narrative. Hut 8, Cipher Digital Stocks Boom As AI Data Center Deals Fuel Rally
• Neutral Sentiment: The earnings call/transcript highlighted a strategic pivot toward hyperscale hosting; management framed 2026 as a year of execution — useful for modeling but outcomes depend on lease monetization and buildout timing. Cipher Mining Earnings Call Signals Hyperscale Pivot
• Neutral Sentiment: The full Q1 2026 earnings transcript is available for investors who want the detailed color on operations, capex plans and lease economics. Cipher Mining (CIFR) Q1 2026 Earnings Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 results missed slightly on EPS (loss of $0.28 vs. consensus -$0.27) and revenue of $34.84M missed estimates (~$36.1M) and fell ~28.8% year‑over‑year — near‑term top‑line pressure and wider losses are weighing on sentiment. Cipher Mining Q1 results / press release
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst writeups flagged a wider Q1 loss and declining revenues, underscoring execution risk and the possibility that margin recovery will take time as the business transitions. Cipher Digital Q1 Loss Wider Than Expected, Revenues Decline Y/Y

Cipher Mining Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ CIFR opened at $21.91 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $15.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $16.82. Cipher Mining Inc. has a 12 month low of $2.95 and a 12 month high of $25.52. The company has a current ratio of 3.79, a quick ratio of 3.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.89 billion, a PE ratio of -9.40 and a beta of 3.13.

Cipher Mining (NASDAQ:CIFR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported ($0.28) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.27) by ($0.01). Cipher Mining had a negative net margin of 427.79% and a negative return on equity of 115.19%. The company had revenue of $34.84 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $36.12 million. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Cipher Mining Inc. will post -0.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on CIFR. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Cipher Mining from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Sunday, March 1st. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $22.00 target price on shares of Cipher Mining in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. HC Wainwright boosted their price target on Cipher Mining from $25.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Cipher Mining in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their price objective on Cipher Mining from $24.00 to $22.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $25.79.

Insider Activity at Cipher Mining

In other news, Director Cary M. Grossman sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.54, for a total value of $436,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 170,530 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,479,506.20. This represents a 14.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director James E. Newsome sold 45,161 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.74, for a total value of $710,834.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 127,331 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,004,189.94. This represents a 26.18% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 148,229 shares of company stock valued at $2,283,968. 2.63% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Cipher Mining Company Profile

Cipher Mining Inc is a Nasdaq-listed bitcoin mining company that develops, owns and operates large-scale mining facilities across the United States. The company focuses on deploying advanced ASIC hardware and securing long-term low-cost power contracts to optimize bitcoin production. By strategically locating its sites in regions with abundant energy supply, Cipher Mining seeks to maintain a competitive cost structure and deliver efficient hashrate capacity growth.

Founded in 2021 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, Cipher Mining has pursued an integrated approach encompassing site development, equipment procurement and operations management.

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