B. Riley rates TeraWulf a buy at $32 after $19B Anthropic lease, Abernathy JV sale

B. Riley has initiated coverage on TeraWulf (WULF), assigning a 'Buy' rating and a substantial $32 price target. This bullish outlook follows two key strategic developments for the company: a significant $19 billion lease agreement with AI firm Anthropic and the sale of its Abernathy joint venture.

The Anthropic lease positions TeraWulf to leverage its data center infrastructure beyond traditional crypto mining, capitalizing on the booming demand for AI computing resources. This diversification could provide a more stable revenue stream and potentially higher margins compared to the volatile crypto mining sector. The Abernathy JV sale, meanwhile, streamlines TeraWulf's operations and allows it to focus on its core assets, likely improving capital efficiency.

The analyst's price target of $32 represents a significant upside from current levels, suggesting that the market may not yet fully appreciate the implications of these strategic shifts. TeraWulf reported $151.6M in revenue, up 8.2% YoY, but still struggles with profitability, showing a -436.4% net margin and -$1.66 diluted EPS. The key tension now is whether these strategic initiatives will translate into improved financial performance and justify the analyst's optimistic valuation, or if the underlying challenges of the crypto mining business will continue to weigh on the stock.