Comparing SBI (OTCMKTS:SBHGF) and MARA (NASDAQ:MARA)

SBI (OTCMKTS:SBHGF) and MARA (NASDAQ:MARA) are both mid-cap finance companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, institutional ownership, profitability, earnings, analyst recommendations, valuation and risk.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for SBI and MARA, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
SBI	0	0	0	1	4.00
MARA	1	5	5	0	2.36

MARA has a consensus price target of $20.55, suggesting a potential upside of 56.10%. Given MARA’s higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe MARA is more favorable than SBI.

Profitability

This table compares SBI and MARA’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
SBI	9.47%	6.78%	0.45%
MARA	27.48%	-8.40%	-6.92%

Risk and Volatility

SBI has a beta of 0.71, suggesting that its stock price is 29% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, MARA has a beta of 6.82, suggesting that its stock price is 582% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

44.5% of MARA shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.8% of MARA shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares SBI and MARA”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
SBI	$8.39 billion	0.93	$601.98 million	$2.73	9.44
MARA	$656.38 million	7.06	$261.17 million	$1.36	9.68

SBI has higher revenue and earnings than MARA. SBI is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than MARA, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

MARA beats SBI on 8 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About SBI

SBI Holdings, Inc. engages in the online securities and investment businesses. It operates through five business segments: Financial Services Business, Asset Management Business, Investment Business, Crypto-Asset Business, and Non-financial Business segments. The Financial Services Business segment consists of a range of finance-related business, including securities brokerage business; banking services business; and life, property, and casualty insurance business. The Asset Management Business segment includes setting, solicitation, and management of investment trust; investment advice; and financial products information. The Investment Business segment includes fund management and investment in Internet technology, fintech, blockchain, finance, and biotechnology-related venture companies; private equity; and funds management businesses. The Crypto-asset Business segment provides crypto-asset exchange and trading services. The Non-Financial Business segment consists of biotechnology; development and distribution of pharmaceutical products, health foods, and cosmetics with 5-aminolevulinic acid; research and development of antibody drugs and nucleic acid medicine in the field of cancer and immunology; the digitization of medical and health information; provision of solutions and services that promote the use of medical big data, medical finance; business working on advanced fields related to Web 3.0; and renewable energy business. The company is also involved in the real estate secured loans, online mobile game, and e-sports related businesses. In addition, it operates and develops cybersecurity systems; exports used cars; offers back-office support services; and develops, operates, manages, and invests in real estate properties. The company was formerly known as Softbank Investment Corporation and changed its name to SBI Holdings, Inc. in July 2005. SBI Holdings, Inc. was incorporated in 1999 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

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.