Benchmark reaffirms a "Buy" rating on Hut8 with a $85 price target

BlockBeats News, February 27 — Benchmark reiterates a “Buy” rating for Hut 8 with a target price of $85, noting that as the company advances its AI data center strategy, management is positioning 2026 as the “execution and delivery” year.

Benchmark analyst Mark Palmer stated in the report that although Q4 results were affected by unrealized Bitcoin losses, the more important development is Hut 8’s steady transformation into a “power-first digital infrastructure platform,” which provides a clearer long-term contract cash flow outlook.

Hut 8 reported a net loss of $301.8 million in Q4, mainly due to $401.9 million in unrealized digital asset losses. As computing power revenue grows, revenue nearly tripled year-over-year to $88.5 million.

Palmer continued to view the 15-year, 245 MW IT leasing agreement with River Bend and Fluidstack as the core of the investment thesis. The agreement, supported by Google Finance, along with a roughly $7 billion foundational term agreement, is driving Hut 8’s valuation closer to infrastructure multiples.

Benchmark’s $85 target price is based on a sum-of-the-parts analysis, including River Bend leasing, probabilistic valuation of an additional 1,000 MW under the priority offer rights, the market value of Hut 8’s 60% stake in American Bitcoin, and its Bitcoin holdings.