Marathon Digital Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:MARA)

Key Points

• Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. saw a significant increase in options trading activity, with 563,755 call options purchased, marking a 74% rise compared to its average volume.
• Insider transactions included CEO Frederick G. Thiel selling 27,505 shares, while CFO Salman Hassan Khan sold 34,733 shares, decreasing their ownership stakes in the company.
• Several institutional investors have recently adjusted their stakes in Marathon Digital, with notable new investments and increases in holdings indicating growing interest in the company.

Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:MARA - Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading on Friday. Stock investors acquired 563,755 call options on the stock. Thisrepresentsanincreaseofapproximately74% compared to the average volume of 323,770 call options.

Marathon Digital Stock Performance

Marathon Digital stock traded up $0.44 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $15.84. 50,703,529 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 41,924,396. Marathon Digital has a twelve month low of $9.81 and a twelve month high of $30.28. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $16.60 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $14.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.54. The firm has a market cap of $5.87 billion, a PE ratio of 14.27 and a beta of 6.24.

Marathon Digital (NASDAQ:MARA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The business services provider reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.29) by $2.13. The company had revenue of $238.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $212.25 million. Marathon Digital had a negative return on equity of 2.11% and a net margin of 85.02%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 64.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($0.72) EPS. Equities analysts predict that Marathon Digital will post -1.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on MARA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Marathon Digital from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $19.00 to $22.00 in a report on Monday, July 28th. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on Marathon Digital from $34.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Compass Point upgraded Marathon Digital from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $9.50 to $18.00 in a report on Friday, July 25th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on Marathon Digital from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Macquarie increased their price objective on Marathon Digital from $19.00 to $26.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Marathon Digital has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $24.22.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Frederick G. Thiel sold 27,505 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.28, for a total value of $420,276.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 3,810,799 shares in the company, valued at approximately $58,229,008.72. This represents a 0.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Salman Hassan Khan sold 34,732 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.73, for a total value of $546,334.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 353,160 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,555,206.80. The trade was a 8.95% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 189,712 shares of company stock worth $3,186,128. 0.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Marathon Digital

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MARA. Park Square Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Digital in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in shares of Marathon Digital by 59.9% in the second quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,824 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 683 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marathon Digital by 358.3% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,824 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 1,426 shares in the last quarter. Estabrook Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Digital in the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in shares of Marathon Digital by 375.4% in the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,534 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 2,001 shares in the last quarter. 44.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Marathon Digital

MARA Holdings, Inc operates as a digital asset technology company that mines digital assets with a focus on the bitcoin ecosystem in United States. The company was formerly known as Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc and changed its name to MARA Holdings, Inc in August 2024. MARA Holdings, Inc was incorporated in 2010 and is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.