Why Mara Stock Rallied Today

By Joe Tenebruso – Feb 27, 2026 at 10:15PM ESTKey PointsMara and Starwood are joining forces to build AI data centers.The deal comes at a time when Mara's Bitcoin-related losses are mounting.Shares of Mara Holdings (MARA +5.86%) rose on Friday after the digital energy technology provider struck a game-changing partnership with Starwood Capital Group. By the close of trading, Mara's stock price was up 5.8% after rising as much as 16.4% earlier in the day. Image source: Getty Images. A potentially lucrative shift to AI Mara will work with Starwood Digital Ventures (SDV) to convert several of its cryptocurrency mining facilities into high-performance computing sites capable of running artificial intelligence (AI) workloads. Mara brings data centers with access to low-cost energy. SDV adds expertise in design, construction, tenant sourcing, and facility management. ExpandNASDAQ: MARAMara HoldingsToday's Change(5.86%) $0.49Current Price$8.95Key Data PointsMarket Cap$3.2BDay's Range$8.95 - $9.8452wk Range$6.66 - $23.45Volume4.5MAvg Vol42MGross Margin-2663.89% Notably, these sites will be capable of both mining Bitcoin and supporting AI computing operations. Mara will thus be able to better adapt to cryptocurrency price fluctuations and shifting demand trends for AI compute. The two companies believe these site conversions will help to bring AI infrastructure online faster than traditional new construction projects. Mara and Starwood are targeting 1 gigawatt of near-term capacity, with a longer-term path to over 2.5 gigawatts. "Mara's power-rich sites give customers what they need most: predictable access to energy at scale," Mara CEO Fred Thiel said in a press release. "Our partnership with Starwood will allow us to turn that power certainty into capacity certainty, so customers can run diverse workloads close to their data and users." An opportune time to diversify The announcement came alongside Mara's fourth-quarter financial report. With the price of Bitcoin down sharply from its highs, Mara posted a net loss of $1.7 billion, or $4.52 per share. Read NextDec 29, 2025 •By Lyle DalyShould You Invest $1,000 In MARA Holdings Right Now?Oct 29, 2025 •By Anders BylundAI Needs Data Centers and Bitcoin Miners Are Delivering ThemOct 14, 2025 •By Eric VolkmanWhy Mara Holdings Stock Triumphed on TuesdayOct 8, 2025 •By Anders BylundShould You Forget Bitcoin and Buy Mara Holdings Stock Instead?Oct 3, 2025 •By Eric VolkmanWhy Mara Holdings Stock Was Soaring This WeekSep 29, 2025 •By Lyle DalyThis Crypto Stock Actually Gets Stronger When Bitcoin CrashesAbout the AuthorJoe Tenebruso is a contributing Motley Fool stock market analyst with more than 3,000 financial bylines to his name. Joe was an investment analyst for Stock Advisor, Income Investor, Crypto Society, and other top-rated investing services. He also managed Tier 1 Investments, a market-crushing real-money portfolio with 24.58% annualized returns. Joe graduated summa cum laude from Rutgers University with a Bachelor of Science in Finance.tmfguardianX@Tier1InvestorStocks MentionedMara HoldingsNASDAQ: MARA$8.94(+5.80%)+$0.49BitcoinCRYPTO: BTC$65,831.00(-2.09%)-$1,408.36*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.