Cryptocurrencies have gained prominence over the past year. Popular cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, have helped several investors to massive profits. According to The Block Research report, Bitcoin miners generated more than $15 billion in revenue in 2021, representing a 206% year-over-year rise.

On November 12, AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (AMC) CEO Adam Aron tweeted that AMC will start accepting cryptocurrencies Litecoin, Bitcoin, and Ethereum for online payments. With various cryptocurrencies finding acceptance as a mode of payment and as a store of value, the demand for cryptocurrency is expected to surge. This would likely benefit the crypto mining industry too. According to a Market Reports World report, the global cryptocurrency market is expected to surpass $3.47 billion by 2030.

Although the cryptocurrencies market is highly volatile, Wall Street analysts expect crypto mining stocks Riot Blockchain, Inc. (RIOT) and Hut 8 Mining Corp. (HUT) to more than double in price in the near term. So, we think they could be solid additions to  one’s watch list.

Click here  to check out our Cryptocurrency Industry Report 

Riot Blockchain, Inc. (RIOT)

Castle Rock, Colo.-based RIOT participates in cryptocurrency mining and the overall blockchain system through various investments. The company has deployed approximately 8,000 application-specific integrated circuit miners at its cryptocurrency mining facility in Oklahoma. In addition, its subsidiary Tess Inc. seeks to develop a blockchain-based escrow service for wholesale telecom carriers.

On December 1, RIOT announced that it had acquired Ferrie Franzmann Industries, LLC (ESS Metron) for roughly $50 million. ESS Metron designs and produces highly engineered electrical equipment solutions that are useful for deploying bitcoin mining operations at scale. The acquisition is vital for RIOT because it will likely complement its ongoing infrastructure expansion to 700 MW and significantly improve its internal engineering capabilities.

For the third quarter, ended September 30, 2021, RIOT’s total revenue increased 2,532% year-over-year to $64.80 million. The company’s mining revenue grew 2,099% year-over-year to $53.60 million. In addition, its adjusted EBITDA came in at $37.57 million compared to a loss of $0.40 million in the year-ago period.

Analysts expect RIOT’s EPS for the quarter ending March 31, 2022, to increase 444.4% year-over-year to $0.49. Its revenue for the quarter ending December 31, 2021, is expected to increase 1,771.9% year-over-year to $99.04 million. Over the past nine months, the stock has retreated 52% in price to close yesterday’s trading session at $23. However, Wall Street analysts expect the stock to hit $47.75 in the near term, indicating a potential 107.6% upside.

Hut 8 Mining Corp. (HUT)

Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, HUT is a bitcoin mining company with industrial-scale operations. The company utilizes specialized equipment to solve computational problems to validate transactions on the bitcoin blockchain and provides hosting services to institutional clients.

On October 21, HUT announced that it had purchased 12,000 new MicroBT M30S+ and M30S++ miners from Inchigle Technology Hong Kong Ltd. When these new miners begin producing along with previously announced investments, HUT’s total contracted capacity will reach approximately 3.57EH/s, in addition to 1,600 Gigahash of cutting-edge NVIDIA GPU miners. This acquisition is expected to allow HUT to efficiently mine and hold bitcoin.

HUT’s revenue for the third quarter, ended September 30, 2021, increased 774.7% year-over-year to CAD50.34 million ($39.28 million). The company’s mining profit came in at CAD33.50 million ($26.14 million), compared to a CAD2.27 million ($1.77 million) loss in the year-ago period. Also, its EPS came in at CAD0.15, compared to a  CAD0.01 loss per share in the prior-year period.

For fiscal 2022, HUT’s EPS is expected to increase 229.1% year-over-year to $1. Also, its revenue for fiscal 2021 is expected to increase 331.8% year-over-year to $139.31 million. The stock has declined 40% in price over the past month to close yesterday’s trading session at $7.65. However, Wall Street analysts expect the stock to hit $18.43 in the near term, indicating a potential 141% upside.

Click here  to check out our Cryptocurrency Industry Report 

RIOT shares fell $23.00 (-100.00%) in premarket trading Thursday. Year-to-date, RIOT has gained 35.43%, versus a 29.53% rise in the benchmark S&P 500 index during the same period.

Since he was in grade school, Dipanjan was interested in the stock market. This led to him obtaining a master’s degree in Finance and Accounting. Currently, as an investment analyst and financial journalist, Dipanjan has a strong interest in reading and analyzing emerging trends in financial markets.

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