Cantor Fitzgerald Increases Stake in IREN Shares
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Feb 18 2026
0mins
Should l Buy IREN?
Source: NASDAQ.COM
- Share Acquisition Details: On February 17, 2026, Cantor Fitzgerald disclosed the acquisition of an additional 3,333,423 shares of IREN, with an estimated transaction value of $171.96 million based on the quarterly average price, indicating strong confidence in the company.
- Value Increase: The quarter-end value of IREN's position rose by $124.65 million, reflecting both new purchases and stock price movements, suggesting Cantor Fitzgerald's optimistic outlook on IREN's future growth.
- Market Position Analysis: With a market capitalization of $13.59 billion, IREN represents only 1.99% of Cantor Fitzgerald's 13F AUM, yet its growth potential has drawn investor interest, particularly given its dependency on a contract with Microsoft.
- Investment Strategy Shift: Cantor Fitzgerald significantly increased its investment in IREN while reducing its stake in CoreWeave during Q4, indicating a belief that IREN may offer higher return potential moving forward.
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Analyst Views on IREN
Wall Street analysts forecast IREN stock price to rise
12 Analyst Rating
8 Buy
2 Hold
2 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 34.090
Low
39.00
Averages
80.40
High
136.00
Current: 34.090
Low
39.00
Averages
80.40
High
136.00
About IREN
IREN Limited is an Australia-based company, which owns and operates data centers powered by 100% renewable energy. Its facilities are optimized for Bitcoin mining, artificial intelligence (AI) cloud services, and other power-dense compute. Its data center mining facilities are in Canal Flats, Mackenzie, Prince George and Childress. Bitcoin Mining provides security to the Bitcoin network. Al Cloud Services provides cloud compute to Al customers, approximately 1,896 NVIDIA H100 and H200 GPUs. Its Canal Flats facility is in the Canadian Rockies, 100 kilometers (km) from Cranbrook regional airport and 500km east of Vancouver. Its facility is in Prince George, the city in northern British Columbia, located 500 km north of Vancouver. Its facility is located in Childress County, Texas, over 250 miles northwest of Dallas and in close proximity to multiple wind and solar generating facilities in the region. Its Childress operations comprise 200 Mega Watt of operating data centers.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
Significant Divergence in IREN Stock Ratings
- Analyst Rating Divergence: Freedom Capital initiated coverage on IREN with a ‘neutral’ rating and a $36 price target, while most analysts recommend ‘Buy’; however, the wide spread between the lowest target of $26 and the highest of $125 indicates significant divergence in Wall Street's views on the stock.
- Market Sentiment Deterioration: U.S. stocks fell on Thursday as signals of potential escalation in military action against Iran dampened investor sentiment, causing IREN shares to drop 4.2% in early trading, pressured by an analyst warning about risks in the AI pivot and a broader market sell-off.
- Strategic Transition Challenges: IREN is transforming from a Bitcoin miner to an AI infrastructure provider, highlighted by a landmark $9.7 billion deal with Microsoft for compute capacity; however, this transition entails heavy capital requirements and could strain the balance sheet in the near term.
- Investor Sentiment Optimistic: Despite IREN shares being down about 10% year-to-date, retail sentiment on Stocktwits remains ‘bullish’, reflecting market expectations for the company's growth potential amid its strategic pivot.
See More
Big Tech Continues Billions in AI Data Center Investments
- AI Infrastructure Investment Surge: Statista projects that AI infrastructure investment will reach $902 billion by 2029, a significant increase from $334 billion in 2025, indicating sustained demand and enthusiasm for AI technologies in the market.
- Nvidia's Market Dominance: Nvidia's data center business accounted for over 90% of its revenue last quarter, growing 75% year-over-year, with an impressive $120 billion net income on $215 billion total revenue, solidifying its core position in AI infrastructure.
- Iren's Power Assurance: Iren has secured over 4.5 gigawatts of power supply and focuses on designing, building, and operating data centers, expecting to achieve an annualized revenue run rate of $3.4 billion by 2026, showcasing its strong capability to meet tech giants' demands.
- Long-Term Investment Potential: Despite significant stock price increases for both Nvidia and Iren, analysts expect Nvidia's earnings to grow by 38% annually over the next five years, while Iren's market valuation still has room for upside, indicating both companies remain attractive in the AI boom.
See More
AI Infrastructure Spending to Reach $902 Billion by 2029
- Market Growth Forecast: Statista projects that AI infrastructure spending will reach $902 billion by 2029, a significant increase from $334 billion in 2025, indicating strong demand and investment potential in AI technologies.
- Nvidia's Market Dominance: Nvidia's data center business accounted for over 90% of its revenue last quarter, growing 75% year-over-year, highlighting its critical role and high margins in the AI infrastructure landscape.
- Iren's Strategic Advantage: Iren has secured over 4.5 gigawatts of power and signed a $9.7 billion contract with Microsoft, expecting to generate $3.4 billion in annualized revenue by 2026, showcasing its strong execution capabilities and market opportunities in data center construction.
- Long-Term Investment Outlook: While Nvidia's valuation reflects strong growth, its projected earnings growth of 38% over the next five years, combined with Iren's untapped market potential, suggests both companies remain compelling investment opportunities amid the AI boom.
See More
Bitcoin Approaches Key $70,000 Level Amid Market Correction
- Bitcoin Price Movement: Bitcoin traded above $69,000 on Wednesday, nearing the $70,000 level it has struggled to maintain recently, indicating market volatility and investor interest.
- Critical Support Levels: Analysts highlight the $58,000 200-week moving average and $54,000 realized price as crucial support levels, with potential breaches possibly undermining market confidence and leading to further price adjustments.
- Mining Stocks Performance: As Bitcoin's price rebounds, several crypto mining stocks rose in pre-market trading on Wednesday, with IREN and BMNR both up nearly 3%, reflecting ongoing market interest in cryptocurrencies.
- Market Sentiment Shift: Despite the rise in Bitcoin's price, market sentiment remains bearish, particularly on the Stocktwits platform where BTC's retail sentiment is in the 'bearish' territory, indicating cautious investor outlooks for future trends.
See More
Trump Announces End to Military Campaign in Iran
- Military Campaign Conclusion: President Trump announced that the U.S. would end its military campaign in Iran within two to three weeks, raising hopes for a potential easing of oil prices, which surged nearly 60% last month, thereby alleviating energy cost pressures across various industries.
- Market Surge: The S&P 500 index gained 2.9% on Tuesday, marking its sharpest increase in over 10 months, reflecting investor optimism about future economic conditions, particularly in light of the potential decline in energy prices.
- Data Center Stocks Rally: Following Trump's announcement, Applied Digital's shares rose 15.5%, while IREN's shares increased by 8.4%, indicating heightened market confidence in the profitability of data center operators as energy costs are expected to decrease.
- Retail Investor Sentiment Improves: After a 24.6% decline in the month leading up to Monday, sentiment for Applied Digital shifted to 'extremely bullish', suggesting a recovery in market confidence regarding its future performance, especially with the prospect of falling oil prices.
See More
Bitcoin Price Remains Weak While Mining Stocks Perform Well
- Bitcoin Price Movement: Bitcoin is trading around $67,433, up 0.3% over the past 24 hours, yet remains in a mid-low range, indicating a lack of strong buying confidence and reflecting the fragility of investor sentiment.
- Fear & Greed Index: The current Fear & Greed Index is in the 'extreme fear' zone, suggesting persistent low market sentiment; despite occasional relief rallies, demand remains brittle and fails to generate sustained buying momentum.
- Mining Stocks Performance: Despite Bitcoin's weakness, crypto mining stocks like CIFR, IREN, MARA, HUT, and WULF showed strong pre-market gains, with CIFR up 2% and IREN up 1%, indicating relative optimism towards these stocks in the market.
- Market Sentiment Shifts: Retail sentiment around CIFR and IREN shifted from 'bearish' to 'bullish', while HUT's sentiment moved from 'bullish' to 'neutral', reflecting volatility in sentiment towards cryptocurrency-related stocks, even as the overall market remains unstable.
See More
Significant Divergence in IREN Stock Ratings
- Analyst Rating Divergence: Freedom Capital initiated coverage on IREN with a ‘neutral’ rating and a $36 price target, while most analysts recommend ‘Buy’; however, the wide spread between the lowest target of $26 and the highest of $125 indicates significant divergence in Wall Street's views on the stock.
- Market Sentiment Deterioration: U.S. stocks fell on Thursday as signals of potential escalation in military action against Iran dampened investor sentiment, causing IREN shares to drop 4.2% in early trading, pressured by an analyst warning about risks in the AI pivot and a broader market sell-off.
- Strategic Transition Challenges: IREN is transforming from a Bitcoin miner to an AI infrastructure provider, highlighted by a landmark $9.7 billion deal with Microsoft for compute capacity; however, this transition entails heavy capital requirements and could strain the balance sheet in the near term.
- Investor Sentiment Optimistic: Despite IREN shares being down about 10% year-to-date, retail sentiment on Stocktwits remains ‘bullish’, reflecting market expectations for the company's growth potential amid its strategic pivot.
See More
Big Tech Continues Billions in AI Data Center Investments
- AI Infrastructure Investment Surge: Statista projects that AI infrastructure investment will reach $902 billion by 2029, a significant increase from $334 billion in 2025, indicating sustained demand and enthusiasm for AI technologies in the market.
- Nvidia's Market Dominance: Nvidia's data center business accounted for over 90% of its revenue last quarter, growing 75% year-over-year, with an impressive $120 billion net income on $215 billion total revenue, solidifying its core position in AI infrastructure.
- Iren's Power Assurance: Iren has secured over 4.5 gigawatts of power supply and focuses on designing, building, and operating data centers, expecting to achieve an annualized revenue run rate of $3.4 billion by 2026, showcasing its strong capability to meet tech giants' demands.
- Long-Term Investment Potential: Despite significant stock price increases for both Nvidia and Iren, analysts expect Nvidia's earnings to grow by 38% annually over the next five years, while Iren's market valuation still has room for upside, indicating both companies remain attractive in the AI boom.
See More
AI Infrastructure Spending to Reach $902 Billion by 2029
- Market Growth Forecast: Statista projects that AI infrastructure spending will reach $902 billion by 2029, a significant increase from $334 billion in 2025, indicating strong demand and investment potential in AI technologies.
- Nvidia's Market Dominance: Nvidia's data center business accounted for over 90% of its revenue last quarter, growing 75% year-over-year, highlighting its critical role and high margins in the AI infrastructure landscape.
- Iren's Strategic Advantage: Iren has secured over 4.5 gigawatts of power and signed a $9.7 billion contract with Microsoft, expecting to generate $3.4 billion in annualized revenue by 2026, showcasing its strong execution capabilities and market opportunities in data center construction.
- Long-Term Investment Outlook: While Nvidia's valuation reflects strong growth, its projected earnings growth of 38% over the next five years, combined with Iren's untapped market potential, suggests both companies remain compelling investment opportunities amid the AI boom.
See More
Bitcoin Approaches Key $70,000 Level Amid Market Correction
- Bitcoin Price Movement: Bitcoin traded above $69,000 on Wednesday, nearing the $70,000 level it has struggled to maintain recently, indicating market volatility and investor interest.
- Critical Support Levels: Analysts highlight the $58,000 200-week moving average and $54,000 realized price as crucial support levels, with potential breaches possibly undermining market confidence and leading to further price adjustments.
- Mining Stocks Performance: As Bitcoin's price rebounds, several crypto mining stocks rose in pre-market trading on Wednesday, with IREN and BMNR both up nearly 3%, reflecting ongoing market interest in cryptocurrencies.
- Market Sentiment Shift: Despite the rise in Bitcoin's price, market sentiment remains bearish, particularly on the Stocktwits platform where BTC's retail sentiment is in the 'bearish' territory, indicating cautious investor outlooks for future trends.
See More
Trump Announces End to Military Campaign in Iran
- Military Campaign Conclusion: President Trump announced that the U.S. would end its military campaign in Iran within two to three weeks, raising hopes for a potential easing of oil prices, which surged nearly 60% last month, thereby alleviating energy cost pressures across various industries.
- Market Surge: The S&P 500 index gained 2.9% on Tuesday, marking its sharpest increase in over 10 months, reflecting investor optimism about future economic conditions, particularly in light of the potential decline in energy prices.
- Data Center Stocks Rally: Following Trump's announcement, Applied Digital's shares rose 15.5%, while IREN's shares increased by 8.4%, indicating heightened market confidence in the profitability of data center operators as energy costs are expected to decrease.
- Retail Investor Sentiment Improves: After a 24.6% decline in the month leading up to Monday, sentiment for Applied Digital shifted to 'extremely bullish', suggesting a recovery in market confidence regarding its future performance, especially with the prospect of falling oil prices.
See More
Bitcoin Price Remains Weak While Mining Stocks Perform Well
- Bitcoin Price Movement: Bitcoin is trading around $67,433, up 0.3% over the past 24 hours, yet remains in a mid-low range, indicating a lack of strong buying confidence and reflecting the fragility of investor sentiment.
- Fear & Greed Index: The current Fear & Greed Index is in the 'extreme fear' zone, suggesting persistent low market sentiment; despite occasional relief rallies, demand remains brittle and fails to generate sustained buying momentum.
- Mining Stocks Performance: Despite Bitcoin's weakness, crypto mining stocks like CIFR, IREN, MARA, HUT, and WULF showed strong pre-market gains, with CIFR up 2% and IREN up 1%, indicating relative optimism towards these stocks in the market.
- Market Sentiment Shifts: Retail sentiment around CIFR and IREN shifted from 'bearish' to 'bullish', while HUT's sentiment moved from 'bullish' to 'neutral', reflecting volatility in sentiment towards cryptocurrency-related stocks, even as the overall market remains unstable.
See More
