MARA Holdings Stock Surges 14% Amid Bitcoin Rally and Analyst Divide

MARA Holdings stock jumped 14% on Friday, September 18, as Bitcoin surged near $81,000. This rally pulled the entire crypto mining sector along with it.

Bitcoin's rebound lifted MARA stock in a session that saw Coinbase, Strategy, and Robinhood also rally. Rival miners moved in step with the increases.

Morgan Stanley nearly doubled its price target on MARA stock to $11 from $6 while keeping an Underweight rating in place. The bank tied the new target to MARA Holdings' shift away from pure Bitcoin mining and into AI data center power, specifically citing the Matagorda County project in Texas planned for up to two gigawatts of capacity, and the $1.5 billion purchase of Ohio's Long Ridge power plant.

JPMorgan cut MARA stock to Underweight from Overweight and slashed its own target to $11 from $13 just four days before Morgan Stanley's new call. Wall Street remains divided on what this AI pivot actually adds to the stock, with a mean target of $18 sitting 39% above Friday's close.

The split among analysts has grown more combative since spring, when six buys and two outperforms made up the majority of coverage. Now, there are six buys, two outperforms, four holds, one underperform, and one sell on MARA stock, with a mean target that implies 39% upside from Friday's close.