Bernstein favors CleanSpark on AI execution as MARA awaits first commercial contract
Quick TakeBernstein reaffirmed its $24 price target and Outperform rating on CleanSpark, while maintaining a $17 target and Market-Perform rating on MARA.Analysts highlighted AI execution as a differentiator, with CleanSpark having already signed a $6.6 billion AI lease, while MARA has yet to land a single commercial AI contract. Analysts at research and brokerage firm Bernstein shared split ratings on two of the largest bitcoin miners pivoting to AI infrastructure, keeping CleanSpark (CLSK) at Outperform with a $24 price target and MARA Holdings (MARA) at Market-Perform with a $17 price target, in a pair of notes published Friday. The divergence reflects on execution, according to Bernstein. CleanSpark has a signed anchor tenant and a data center build is underway, while MARA is still waiting for its first commercial AI contract, the analysts led by Gautam Chhugani wrote. CleanSpark secures AI tenant CleanSparks $6.6 billion 20-year triple-net lease covers 175 IT MW at its Sandersville site in Georgia, with a high-investment-grade global technology company as tenant. The lease carries an exclusivity agreement over CleanSparks entire 885 MW Texas portfolio. The miner has also partnered with the tenants preferred engineering and construction firm for the Sandersville build, a step Bernstein said de-risks CleanSparks first scaled AI deployment. Another