Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Call Options on Marathon Digital (NASDAQ:MARA)

Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:MARA) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Friday. Investors bought 407,027 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 73% compared to the average volume of 235,207 call options.

Marathon Digital Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MARA traded down $0.53 on Friday, hitting $11.46. 50,980,257 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 43,302,832. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $9.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $11.24. Marathon Digital has a one year low of $6.66 and a one year high of $23.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 1.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.89 and a beta of 5.29.

Marathon Digital (NASDAQ:MARA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The business services provider reported ($4.52) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.23) by ($4.29). Marathon Digital had a negative return on equity of 19.01% and a negative net margin of 144.58%.The company had revenue of $202.31 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $250.74 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.24 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Marathon Digital will post -0.79 earnings per share for the current year.

More Marathon Digital News

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

• Positive Sentiment: MARA agreed to buy Long Ridge Energy & Power, adding a 505 MW gas plant and a 1,600‑acre Ohio campus that creates line‑of‑sight to >1 GW of total capacity and expands MARA’s digital infrastructure and AI-ready power footprint. This materially accelerates the company’s pivot beyond pure bitcoin mining into energy and AI infrastructure. MARA acquires Long Ridge Energy platform for $1.5 billion
• Positive Sentiment: Sell‑side momentum: Rosenblatt raised its price target from $11 to $15 and initiated/maintained a Buy stance, signaling analyst conviction in upside from the strategic deal and re‑rating potential. Rosenblatt raises MARA target to $15
• Neutral Sentiment: Company provided more detail on the M&A in a recent call/transcript; investors can use the transcript to assess management’s integration plan, expected capex and timing. MARA M&A call transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Media coverage frames the deal as part of a broader shift into AI infrastructure and power markets — a thematic positive long term but dependent on execution and AI demand. Major energy firm moves into AI infrastructure
• Negative Sentiment: Price and financing risk: the deal values Long Ridge at ≈$1.5–$1.52B including debt, will increase MARA’s leverage and requires regulatory approvals with expected close in Q3 2026 — raises near‑term execution and financing risk. FTAI announces sale to MARA
• Negative Sentiment: Fundamentals remain a concern: last reported quarter showed a large EPS miss, negative margins and ongoing volatility tied to bitcoin economics; those legacy weaknesses temper enthusiasm until integration and profitability paths are clearer. No link

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on MARA. HC Wainwright reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Marathon Digital in a report on Friday, February 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their price objective on shares of Marathon Digital from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective 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 downgraded shares of Marathon Digital from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Marathon Digital in a report on Monday, February 9th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $8.00 price objective on the stock. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marathon Digital currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $18.22.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Frederick G. Thiel sold 27,505 shares of Marathon Digital stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.18, for a total value of $252,495.90. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 4,788,954 shares in the company, valued at $43,962,597.72. This trade represents a 0.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, General Counsel Zabi Nowaid sold 42,090 shares of Marathon Digital stock in a transaction on Friday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.00, for a total transaction of $505,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel owned 1,007,047 shares in the company, valued at $12,084,564. This trade represents a 4.01% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 172,605 shares of company stock worth $1,745,843 in the last quarter. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Marathon Digital

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MARA. Hollencrest Capital Management boosted its position in shares of Marathon Digital by 2,407.4% during the 3rd quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 1,354 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 1,300 shares in the last quarter. Ascentis Independent Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Digital during the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Marathon Digital by 56.8% during the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,819 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 659 shares in the last quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Marathon Digital by 4,345.1% during the 1st quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 4,045 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 3,954 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Digital during the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. 44.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marathon Digital Company 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.