MARA (NASDAQ:MARA – Get Free Report) and Cipher Mining (NASDAQ:CIFR – Get Free Report) are both mid-cap technology companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, valuation, earnings, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, risk and dividends.
Profitability
This table compares MARA and Cipher Mining’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| MARA | -429.71% | -26.05% | -12.73% |
| Cipher Mining | -585.75% | -156.28% | -21.29% |
Insider & Institutional Ownership
44.5% of MARA shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 12.3% of Cipher Mining shares are held by institutional investors. 1.0% of MARA shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 3.1% of Cipher Mining shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.
Volatility and Risk
MARA has a beta of 5.33, indicating that its stock price is 433% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Cipher Mining has a beta of 3.2, indicating that its stock price is 220% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a breakdown of current ratings and target prices for MARA and Cipher Mining, as reported by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| MARA | 3 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 2.42 |
| Cipher Mining | 1 | 3 | 16 | 1 | 2.81 |
MARA currently has a consensus target price of $19.10, indicating a potential upside of 153.65%. Cipher Mining has a consensus target price of $28.56, indicating a potential upside of 217.99%. Given Cipher Mining’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Cipher Mining is more favorable than MARA.
Valuation and Earnings
This table compares MARA and Cipher Mining”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| MARA | $907.09 million | 3.21 | -$1.31 billion | ($9.16) | -0.82 |
| Cipher Mining | $223.94 million | 16.64 | -$822.24 million | ($2.86) | -3.14 |
Cipher Mining has lower revenue, but higher earnings than MARA. Cipher Mining is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than MARA, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Summary
Cipher Mining beats MARA on 8 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About MARA
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.
About Cipher Mining
Cipher Mining Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the development and operation of industrial scale bitcoin mining data centers in the United States. The company was incorporated in 2020 and is based in New York, New York. Cipher Mining Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Bitfury Holding B.V.
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