Traders Purchase High Volume of MARA Call Options (NASDAQ:MARA)

by · The Cerbat Gem

MARA Holdings (NASDAQ:MARA – Get Free Report) saw some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Stock traders acquired 335,051 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 62% compared to the average daily volume of 206,674 call options.

MARA Trading Down 2.9%

NASDAQ MARA opened at $12.55 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $4.85 billion, a PE ratio of -1.37 and a beta of 5.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. MARA has a 12 month low of $6.66 and a 12 month high of $23.45. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $11.30 and a 200-day moving average of $11.61.

MARA (NASDAQ:MARA – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The business services provider reported ($1.60) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.17 by ($1.77). MARA had a negative net margin of 429.71% and a negative return on equity of 26.05%. The firm had revenue of $174.88 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $209.44 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.84 earnings per share. MARA’s quarterly revenue was down 26.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that MARA will post -1.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

More MARA News

Here are the key news stories impacting MARA this week:

  • Positive Sentiment: MARA’s large Bitcoin holdings could provide significant upside if cryptocurrency prices recover. The company held 35,577 Bitcoin at the end of June, although 9,270 were loaned or pledged as collateral. Analysts’ six-month median price target is $15, above the recent share price, with some targets as high as $24–$27. Can MARA Holdings Trade At A Premium After Its Bitcoin Buy?
  • Neutral Sentiment: Investors are evaluating whether MARA can command a premium based on its Bitcoin holdings and potential expansion into artificial intelligence and high-performance computing, rather than valuing the company solely on its declining sales base. Institutional positioning was mixed in the latest quarter, with several large funds adding shares while others exited.
  • Negative Sentiment: Bitcoin’s decline was the most immediate pressure on the stock. MARA typically moves more sharply than Bitcoin because investors use it as a higher-beta cryptocurrency trade. MARA slips as softer bitcoin prices add to pressure from a recent analyst downgrade
  • Negative Sentiment: A recent major-bank downgrade to Underweight, accompanied by an $11 price target, continues to weigh on sentiment. The analyst cited uncertainty around MARA’s capital-light AI and high-performance-computing strategy.
  • Negative Sentiment: MARA’s second-quarter results were weak: revenue fell 27% year over year to $174.9 million, while the company reported a $611.3 million net loss, largely reflecting fair-value losses on digital assets. The results missed consensus expectations and reinforce concerns about profitability.
  • Negative Sentiment: Insider selling is another overhang. CEO Frederick Thiel recently sold 27,505 shares, and company insiders reportedly recorded 19 open-market sales with no purchases during the past six months. MARA Holdings CEO Frederick Thiel Sells 27,505 Shares

Insider Transactions at MARA

In related news, General Counsel Zabi Nowaid sold 8,376 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.00, for a total value of $100,512.00. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 898,780 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,785,360. The trade was a 0.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Salman Khan sold 16,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.21, for a total transaction of $147,360.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 377,066 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,472,777.86. The trade was a 4.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 79,386 shares of company stock valued at $816,125 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.97% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in MARA by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 9,957,766 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $89,434,000 after purchasing an additional 251,674 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in MARA during the fourth quarter worth about $39,492,000. Capital World Investors increased its position in MARA by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,954,764 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,534,000 after buying an additional 19,048 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in MARA by 2.0% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,838,149 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $14,999,000 after buying an additional 35,978 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC raised its stake in MARA by 51.2% in the second quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 444,756 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $6,178,000 after buying an additional 150,665 shares during the period. 44.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $27.00 price target on shares of MARA in a report on Monday, June 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $11.00 price objective (down from $13.00) on shares of MARA in a report on Monday, September 14th. Citizens Jmp began coverage on MARA in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued a “market outperform” rating and a $24.00 target price on the stock. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on MARA from $16.00 to $13.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, HC Wainwright began coverage on MARA in a research note on Friday, September 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $20.00 target price on the stock. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MARA has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $19.20.

View Our Latest Analysis on MARA

MARA Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

MARA Holdings, Inc, formerly known as Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc, is a digital asset technology company focused primarily on mining bitcoin. The company operates and supports computing infrastructure designed to secure the Bitcoin network by processing transactions and earning bitcoin rewards.

MARA develops and deploys large-scale data center and energy infrastructure for digital asset mining. Its activities include operating mining facilities, managing specialized application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) mining equipment, and pursuing energy and infrastructure solutions intended to support more efficient and scalable computing operations.

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