Reviewing Prairie Operating (OTCMKTS:CRKR) and Cipher Mining (NASDAQ:CIFR)

Cipher Mining (NASDAQ:CIFR) and Prairie Operating (OTCMKTS:CRKR) are both business services companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, profitability, risk, valuation, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations and earnings.

Risk and Volatility

Cipher Mining has a beta of 2.29, meaning that its stock price is 129% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Prairie Operating has a beta of 1.59, meaning that its stock price is 59% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

12.3% of Cipher Mining shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 49.5% of Prairie Operating shares are held by institutional investors. 2.3% of Cipher Mining shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 24.6% of Prairie Operating shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Cipher Mining and Prairie Operating’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Cipher Mining	-33.39%	-8.29%	-7.29%
Prairie Operating	N/A	N/A	-286.57%

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for Cipher Mining and Prairie Operating, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Cipher Mining	0	0	9	2	3.18
Prairie Operating	0	0	0	0	0.00

Cipher Mining currently has a consensus target price of $8.03, indicating a potential upside of 40.10%. Given Cipher Mining’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Cipher Mining is more favorable than Prairie Operating.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Cipher Mining and Prairie Operating”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Cipher Mining	$152.47 million	13.07	-$25.78 million	($0.13)	-44.08
Prairie Operating	$520,000.00	0.00	-$13.42 million	N/A	N/A

Prairie Operating has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Cipher Mining.

Summary

Cipher Mining beats Prairie Operating on 7 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Cipher Mining

Cipher Mining Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the development and operation of industrial scale bitcoin mining data centers in the United States. The company was incorporated in 2020 and is based in New York, New York. Cipher Mining Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Bitfury Holding B.V.

About Prairie Operating

Prairie Operating Co. engages in developing energy to meet growing demand, while protecting the environment. The company was formerly known as Creek Road Miners, Inc. and changed its name to Prairie Operating Co. in May 2023. Prairie Operating Co. is based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.