MARA (NASDAQ:MARA) Shares Down 2.6% – What’s Next?

MARA Holdings (NASDAQ:MARA) shares were down 2.6% on Friday. The company traded as low as $9.49 and last traded at $9.65. 34,858,176 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 24% from the average session volume of 45,833,594 shares. The stock had previously closed at $9.91.

Key Headlines Impacting MARA

Here are the key news stories impacting MARA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CEO Fred Thiel expects MARA to secure two AI-related leases before year-end. The agreements could help diversify the company beyond Bitcoin mining and support a higher valuation, but investors will likely want firm contracts, identifiable customers, and evidence of meaningful revenue before assigning substantial value. MARA’s CEO Expects Two AI Leases by Year-End
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerages reportedly maintain an average price target of approximately $19.20, nearly double the recent share price. The target signals potential upside, although it reflects analysts’ expectations rather than guaranteed performance and may depend on Bitcoin prices and successful execution of MARA’s AI strategy. MARA Holdings Has Average Target Price of $19.20
• Neutral Sentiment: MARA remains a heavily watched and frequently discussed stock, according to Zacks. However, the article offers general analysis rather than a new operational catalyst or material change to the company’s outlook. Is Trending Stock Marathon Digital Holdings a Buy Now?
• Negative Sentiment: MARA transferred 996.105 Bitcoin, worth roughly $81.1 million, to Galaxy Digital. Blockchain records have not established whether Galaxy sold the Bitcoin, but the transaction raises concerns about additional selling pressure and reduced exposure to a potential Bitcoin-price rally. MARA had already sold 23,093 BTC during the first half of 2026, with holdings falling to 35,577 BTC as of June 30. MARA Holdings Sends $81 Million to Galaxy

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MARA has been the subject of several analyst reports. HC Wainwright started coverage on shares of MARA in a research note on Friday, September 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $20.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley set a $10.00 price objective on shares of MARA in a research note on Friday. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on MARA from $16.00 to $13.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 17th. Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $15.00 target price on shares of MARA in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald cut their target price on MARA from $14.00 to $12.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 7th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, MARA has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $19.10.

MARA Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $11.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $11.77. The company has a market capitalization of $3.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.05 and a beta of 5.33.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Salman Khan sold 16,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.21, for a total transaction of $147,360.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 377,066 shares in the company, valued at $3,472,777.86. This represents a 4.07% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, General Counsel Zabi Nowaid sold 8,376 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The stock was 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 $10,785,360. This represents a 0.92% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 106,891 shares of company stock valued at $1,124,731 in the last ninety days. 0.97% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of MARA

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in MARA by 1,154.9% during the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,422 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 2,229 shares in the last quarter. Ascentis Independent Advisors acquired a new position in shares of MARA during the first quarter valued at about $28,000. CoreCap Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of MARA by 128.0% during the 2nd quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 3,651 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 2,050 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its position in shares of MARA by 58.2% during the 3rd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 4,009 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 1,475 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bogart Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of MARA by 4,345.1% in the 1st quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 4,045 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 3,954 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 44.53% of the company’s stock.

About MARA

MARA Holdings, Inc (NASDAQ: MARA), formerly known as Marathon Digital Holdings, is a digital asset technology company focused primarily on mining bitcoin. The company operates specialized data centers containing application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) computers that process transactions and secure the Bitcoin network in exchange for bitcoin rewards.

In addition to bitcoin mining, MARA develops and operates digital asset computing infrastructure. Its activities include managing energy and data-center resources, deploying mining hardware, and pursuing technologies designed to improve the efficiency and scalability of digital asset mining.