Vanguard Group Inc. Acquires 4,049,979 Shares of Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. $MARA

Key Points

• Vanguard Group bought an additional 4,049,979 shares in Q3 (a 9.8% increase), bringing its stake to 45,311,718 shares — about a 12.23% ownership valued at roughly $827.4 million.
• Analysts are mixed but the consensus is a “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $21, with individual targets ranging from Morgan Stanley’s $8 (underweight) to Compass Point’s $30 (buy).
• Near-term downside risks include recent insider selling by the CEO and CFO, rising short interest, and JPMorgan’s note that Bitdeer has overtaken Marathon in self‑mining hash rate, which may pressure production and the stock.

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:MARA - Free Report) by 9.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 45,311,718 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 4,049,979 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 12.23% of Marathon Digital worth $827,392,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MARA. Tobam increased its holdings in shares of Marathon Digital by 51.1% in the third quarter. Tobam now owns 56,293 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,028,000 after buying an additional 19,037 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D boosted its holdings in Marathon Digital by 13.9% during the 3rd quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 137,141 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $2,504,000 after acquiring an additional 16,762 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in Marathon Digital by 23.7% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 21,548 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $393,000 after acquiring an additional 4,131 shares during the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its stake in Marathon Digital by 20.4% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 1,445,051 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $26,387,000 after purchasing an additional 245,222 shares during the period. Finally, Wedbush Securities Inc. lifted its position in Marathon Digital by 22.9% in the third quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 14,969 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $273,000 after purchasing an additional 2,790 shares during the last quarter. 44.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Piper Sandler cut their target price on shares of Marathon Digital from $26.00 to $16.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Marathon Digital from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Marathon Digital in a research report on Monday, February 9th. They issued an "underweight" rating and a $8.00 price objective on the stock. 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 report on Monday, November 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Marathon Digital from $20.00 to $13.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 24th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $21.00.

Marathon Digital Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of MARA opened at $7.97 on Monday. Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $6.66 and a 1-year high of $23.45. The company has a current ratio of 2.09, a quick ratio of 2.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $9.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $13.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.43 and a beta of 5.56.

Insider Activity at Marathon Digital

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

More Marathon Digital News

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

• Positive Sentiment: MARA closed its acquisition of a 64% stake in EDF subsidiary Exaion and announced a strategic partnership with NJJ Capital — a move that expands its energy and data‑center footprint and could improve scale and power sourcing over time. MARA completes acquisition of EDF subsidiary Exaion with NJJ Capital partnership
• Neutral Sentiment: MARA scheduled its Q4 and FY2025 earnings call for Feb. 26 — an event that can drive near‑term volatility and provide fresh guidance that may materially move the stock. MARA Schedules Conference Call for Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2025 Financial Results
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest in MARA has climbed sharply, signaling increased bearish positioning even though the stock trades at a low P/E; higher shorting adds selling pressure and raises the risk of further downside. MARA Holdings Faces Rising Short Interest Despite Low P/E And Price Gap
• Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan analysts say Bitdeer has overtaken Marathon in self‑mining hash rate, suggesting MARA may be losing its competitive edge in mining capacity — a negative signal for revenue/production expectations. JPMorgan announces Bitcoin mining leader
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sales: CEO Frederick Thiel and CFO Salman Hassan Khan both sold shares recently (disclosed SEC filings). While not uncommon, concurrent senior‑executive selling is viewed negatively by some investors and can add to downward pressure. Salman Hassan Khan Sells 16,000 Shares of Marathon Digital NASDAQ: MARA Stock

Marathon Digital Profile

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.

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