Marathon
Digital
(MARA),
one
of
the
largest
bitcoin
miners,
missed
consensus
first-quarter
revenue
expectations
due
to
operational
challenges
it
faced
during
the
quarter.
The
company
mined
just
2,811
bitcoin
during
the
year’s
first
three
months,
down
34%
from
the
previous
quarter.
“Bitcoin
production,
and
therefore
revenues,
generated
during
the
quarter
was
negatively
impacted
by
unexpected
equipment
failures,
transmission
line
maintenance,
and
higher
than
anticipated
weather-related
curtailments
at
Garden
City
and
other
sites
during
the
quarter,”
the
company
said
in
a
statement
on
Thursday.
Marathon
reported
first
quarter
earnings
per
share
of
$1.26,
at
first
glance
easily
topping
Wall
Street
estimates
of
$0.02,
but
not
comparable
to
forecasts
as
the
company
adopted
newly-approved
FASB
fair
value
accounting
rules.
The
mark-to-market
adjustment
was
a
very
favorable
one
given
the
big
run
higher
in
bitcoin
prices.
The
miner
is
sticking
to
its
2024
guidance
of
ramping
up
to
50
exahash
per
second
(EH/s)
and
sees
additional
growth
in
2025.
Marathon’s
stock
fell
roughly
1.5%
in
post-market
trading
on
Thursday.
Shares
have
declined
26%
this
year
while
peer
Riot
Platforms
(RIOT)
has
seen
its
stock
price
fall
40%.