Slumping Strategy and Strive started with buy ratings at B. Riley
The bank said the bitcoin treasury sector’s slump reset valuations, but opened the door for new digital credit financing models that could revive growth.
By Will Canny, AI Boost|Edited by Stephen Alpher Mar 10, 2026, 12:42 p.m.
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What to know:
- B. Riley initiated coverage of Strategy and Strive with buy ratings and price targets of $175 and $12, respectively.
- Bitcoin’s 2025–26 drawdown compressed treasury-company valuations and stalled equity-driven BTC accumulation.
- Preferred-share financing and diversified business lines could drive the next phase of growth, the report said.
Investment bank B. Riley initiated coverage of bitcoin treasury firms Strategy (MSTR) and Strive (ASST) with buy ratings, setting price targets of $175 and $12, respectively.
Strategy was trading at $141.82 at publication time, Strive at $8.67.
The sector was pressured after bitcoin fell more than 45% from about $126,000 in October 2025 to roughly $69,000 in early March 2026, compressing market-to-NAV premiums and slowing the equity issuance that had fueled bitcoin accumulation, the bank said in a report published Monday.
The correction has weighed on crypto-linked equities and funds. The decline in BTC prices and broader risk-asset sentiment has contributed to volatility in shares of companies exposed to digital assets, including corporate bitcoin holders and crypto-focused investment vehicles.
Strategy remains the largest bitcoin treasury company, holding 738,731 BTC. The company, led by Executive Chairman Michael Saylor, made a massive bitcoin purchase last week, adding 17,994 bitcoin to its holdings for a total cost of $1.28 billion, or $70,946 per coin.
The company has built a "digital credit platform" combining common equity and five series of perpetual preferred shares yielding 8% to 11.5%, backed by about $2.25 billion in cash reserves, according to analyst Fedor Shabalin.
The analyst noted that Strategy’s shares trade around 1.2 times mNAV, well below a roughly 3.4x peak in 2024, presenting an attractive entry point.
mNAV is a metric used to value bitcoin treasury companies by comparing a company’s market capitalization to the value of its underlying bitcoin holdings and related assets.
Strive, meanwhile, combines a bitcoin treasury of about 13,100 BTC with an asset-management business overseeing roughly $2.5 billion. The analyst pointed to its low leverage, a preferred share yield of about 12.5%, and a valuation discount, with the stock trading at around 0.9x modified NAV.
Preferred securities issued by the companies could attract yield-focused investors, given that the payouts exceed many traditional income alternatives, the report added.
Read more: Strategy logs record STRC equity issuance on Monday, buys estimated 1,420 bitcoin
StrategyDigital Asset TreasuryB. RileyAI Disclaimer: Parts of this article were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards. For more information, see CoinDesk's full AI Policy.More For You
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