Hive Blockchain: A Potential Legacy Bitcoin Miner In The Making (NASDAQ:HIVE)

The Turning into of A Legacy Bitcoin Miner

A couple of yr in the past in July 2022, HIVE Blockchain (NASDAQ:HIVE) was our prime go-to crypto mining company to put money into. It had many benefits over different Bitcoin mining firms. It operates with 100% renewable power, sub $20,000 complete mining price per Bitcoin (together with all enterprise prices), rising Bitcoin (BTC-USD) and Ethereum (ETH-USD) reserves, engaging valuations (buying and selling under adjusted web asset worth, NAV), and extra. The one main threat we recognized was ‘The Merge’, which is Ethereum’s transition to Proof-of-Stake (‘PoS’). Therefore, we preserve our technique to HODL Bitcoin.

Though ‘The Merge’ was imminent, Ethereum’s transition had been delayed for many years. There was no saying how lengthy HIVE can benefit from the excessive margins from mining Ethereum. Then 2 months later in September, Ethereum’s pivot to PoS is accomplished. Nonetheless, HIVE was adamant about optimistic alternatives to mine other Proof-of-Work (‘PoW’) coins and tokens ought to Ethereum swap to PoS. We studied and outlined 3 methods we anticipate HIVE to navigate. So will probably be attention-grabbing to see how has HIVE fared since ‘The Merge’.

HIVE’s Publish-Merge Bitcoin Manufacturing

On a excessive stage, Bitcoin manufacturing is a operate of two issues: mining capability and Bitcoin community hash charge (or mining issue). We predicted that the manufacturing (income) will decline by greater than 32% as a result of mining issue differential between Bitcoin and Ethereum.

In 2022Q4 and 2023Q1, HIVE’s Bitcoin manufacturing fell by 43%, 10% greater than our estimation. On this sense, the ten% extra decline might be attributed to the rise in Bitcoin mining issue. HIVE additionally appeared to agree. In all of HIVE’s month-to-month updates in 2022Q4, HIVE appeared very acutely aware in regards to the mining issue of Bitcoin to attribute the decline in Bitcoin manufacturing to the elevated mining issue. For instance:

The Bitcoin community issue noticed a complete 17% improve throughout the month of October…

Bitcoin mining issue had elevated substantively for the month of October relative to the month of September…

The Bitcoin community issue was consistent all through the month of November, with lower than +/- 1% variance…

However when mining capability elevated in 2023Q1, HIVE now not talked about mining issue. We simply assume that HIVE could possibly be extra specific in attributing the decline in manufacturing to mining capability (Desk 1) as effectively.

Referring to Desk 1, HIVE’s manufacturing has but to get well to the pre-Merge stage. We expect that it’s unlikely for HIVE to regain the pre-Merge manufacturing stage anytime quickly. On one hand, the Bitcoin mining issue has been growing by 93% yearly since 2021H1. However, HIVE missed its mid-2023 6.2 EH/s goal, and should not have the steadiness sheet to increase willfully.

In Could 2022, HIVE said that:

HIVE is happy to supply a market replace on the Firm’s progress plans for the yr forward. The Firm shall be at 6.2 Exahash BTC equal hashrate in one yr, primarily based on contracted month-to-month deliveries of ASIC and GPU {hardware} (with deposits in place), up from 3.4 Exahash of BTC equal hashrate right now.

Be aware that HIVE used the time period ‘equal hashrate’, that means the 6.2 EH/s goal additionally contains Ethereum mining capability. Because the Ethereum mining capability is price much less when it comes to Bitcoin-equivalent capability post-Merge, 2022Q3 and 2022Q4 noticed a 40% drop (2.06 / 3.4 EH/s, Desk 1) in mining capability. It’s not till Could that HIVE recovered pre-Merge mining capability. Even so, Bitcoin manufacturing stays under pre-Merge ranges as a result of improve in mining issue. Therefore, HIVE’s concern about growing mining issue is effectively justified.

Desk 1. HIVE’s Historic Bitcoin Manufacturing and Mining Capability

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Supply: Writer (* signifies estimation extrapolated from Could Manufacturing)

In June 2023, HIVE resumed its 6 EH/s year-end goal. Whether or not HIVE can notice this goal stays to be seen. HIVE at the moment has $8.6mil in money and $15.7mil in deposits. We previously estimated that it requires $23mil so as to add 1 EH/s of mining capability. Therefore, including one other 2.7 EH/s would require about $46mil. Therefore, we don’t assume that HIVE has the steadiness sheet to satisfy this enlargement goal in the meanwhile. Else, we anticipate to see a rise in legal responsibility or excellent shares (about 13%). In any of the three instances, shareholder worth will decline.

Implications of HIVE’s Shareholder Fairness Decline

If HIVE doesn’t meet the 6 EH/s goal, manufacturing will decline as a result of elevated mining issue. This lowers the intrinsic worth of the corporate. A lower in manufacturing additionally will increase the mining price per Bitcoin as lots of HIVE’s bills are mounted bills. Both HIVE has to dump its Bitcoin reserves to cowl bills or HIVE has to boost fairness or legal responsibility to cowl bills. These result in the dying spiral.

If Hive raises funds by fairness, HIVE’s shareholder fairness will decline additional. Desk 2 confirmed that HIVE’s guide worth and guide worth per share has been declining even earlier than ‘The Merge’. E book worth decreased so much however guide worth per share decreased much more. An try to fund enlargement by fairness choices will additional lower HIVE’s guide worth per share.

Desk 2. HIVE’s Declining Shareholder Fairness

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Supply: Writer

At present, HIVE’s market cap ($262mil) is 86% larger than its guide worth. Utilizing our conservative measurement (adjusted NAV) to incorporate solely money, pay as you go, gear, and Bitcoin reserve, HIVE is buying and selling 115% larger than its 2022Q4 guide worth. Comparatively (Determine under), HIVE’s shares had been buying and selling at related costs again as right now in Oct 2022 but it surely was under guide worth. As well as, HIVE shareholders misplaced 68% of shareholder fairness since 2021Q4. It’s observable that the decline in shareholder fairness is attributable to the decline in HIVE’s asset worth. This means that HIVE has lesser wiggle room to outlive a chronic Bitcoin downturn and increase mining capability.

These observations additional cement that HIVE shareholder is rapidly shedding fairness. The identical will also be utilized to funding by legal responsibility, which additionally in the end reduces shareholder fairness.

Mining Effectivity

We have beforehand supplied proof to indicate that HIVE’s price foundation had de-anchored from the optimum historic common. We additionally estimated a rise in HIVE’s price foundation resulting from a rise in power costs, threat of lesser curtailed power, and differential of power utilization between Bitcoin and Ethereum mining. Within the press launch for the 2023Q3 quarter, HIVE has confirmed that HIVE is just not prone to regain pre-Merge mining effectivity:

We (HIVE) are unhappy to see the larger margin from mining Ethereum gone and now shall be extra simply in comparison with our Bitcoin mining friends…

We estimated that the entire mining price per Bitcoin would rise to $66,000. Fortuitously, HIVE’s complete mining price per Bitcoin solely elevated to $48,000.

HIVE’s complete mining price is worse than CleanSpark ($33,276, CLSK), Marathon Digital Holdings ($32,100, MARA), and Riot Platforms ($46,200, RIOT). Solely Hut 8 Mining (HUT) was found to be worse than HIVE to this point resulting from unsystematic power woes.

Desk 2. HIVE’s Historic Complete Mining Price per Bitcoin

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Supply: Writer

When HIVE’s complete mining price per BTC is noticed together with its declining asset worth, it might imply that HIVE can not afford to exchange its mining rigs. Moreover, Bitcoin is at the moment buying and selling close to its complete money expense per Bitcoin ($19,000, excluding depreciation and Inventory-based funds). Ought to the SEC’s lawsuit in opposition to Binance and Coinbase (COIN) take a flip for the more serious, HIVE may have the ability to survive one other Bitcoin shock.

Given sufficient time, primarily based on HIVE’s Q2 manufacturing replace trajectory, we anticipate HIVE’s complete mining price per Bitcoin to steadily decline to the $30,000 – $35,000 benchmark over time as manufacturing slowly picks up. However we don’t anticipate it to return to pre-Merge ranges as a result of working price (together with depreciation) per Bitcoin alone already stands at $39,000 in 2022Q4.

Valuation & Verdict

As talked about earlier, HIVE has misplaced a big quantity of guide worth since 2021. HIVE can be now buying and selling effectively above its guide worth regardless that HIVE was buying and selling at related value ranges 3 quarters in the past. This means that HIVE has to compensate for this excessive valuation with a better stage of profitability.

Assuming the 6 EH/s anticipated capability, our mannequin means that Bitcoin has to commerce above $54,414 to justify HIVE’s present valuation. This isn’t too dangerous provided that Bitcoin has to commerce above $50k, $68k, and $62k to justify MARA, RIOT, and HUT’s respective market cap. We preserve that CLSK continues to be essentially the most engaging undervalued Bitcoin mining firm to this point, in line with our mannequin.

It is vitally unlucky that HIVE has to take a number of steps again simply to pivot away from Ethereum. Throughout this era, CLSK, RIOT, and MARA have expanded aggressively, particularly MARA (Desk 3). With the business quickly increasing mining capability, HIVE is perhaps left behind. Keep in mind that a Bitcoin miner’s manufacturing efficiency is relative to a different different. Until HIVE finds methods to beef up its steadiness sheet and increase, HIVE dangers turning into a legacy Bitcoin miner that can battle to outlive.

For these causes, we can not suggest an funding in HIVE. It’s also due to dangers like these that we suggest direct funding in Bitcoin over Bitcoin mining firms. Else, you may like to contemplate CLSK. It is the one Bitcoin mining firm our mannequin at the moment seems at favorably. We hope that HIVE can get well and show us improper. HIVE’s survival will help maintain the Bitcoin community as decentralized as doable, which is nice for the general crypto business.

Desk 3. Bitcoin Mining Corporations Capability Comparability

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Supply: Writer (* point out February Figures)