Share this article

MicroStrategy Slumps 14% After Short Seller Says Stock Trades at an Unjustifiable Premium to Bitcoin

The bitcoin price implied by MicroStrategy’s share price is $177K, two and a half times the spot price of the cryptocurrency, the report said.

Updated Mar 28, 2024, 3:24 p.m. Published Mar 28, 2024, 2:48 p.m.
Michael Saylor, executive chairman of MicroStrategy (Michael.com)
Michael Saylor, executive chairman of MicroStrategy (Michael.com)
  • Kerrisdale Capital is short MicroStrategy stock and long bitcoin.
  • The stock’s relative attractiveness doesn't justify paying more than double for the same coin, Kerrisdale said.
  • MicroStrategy is no longer a unique way to gain access to bitcoin, it said.

MicroStrategy's (MSTR) shares fell as much as 14% on Thursday after a prominent short seller, Kerrisdale Capital, said in a report that it is short-selling the stock while betting long on bitcoin .

“Shares of MicroStrategy have soared amid a recent rise in the price of bitcoin, but as is often the case with crypto, things have gotten carried away,” the short seller wrote.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters

None of the reasons cited for the stock’s relative attractiveness “justify paying well over double for the same coin,” the report said.

Software developer MicroStrategy’s business model is based on the acquisition and holding of bitcoin, and its crypto stash represents the majority of the company’s valuation. The company now holds about 214,246 bitcoins, which is more than 1% of all the 21 million tokens that will ever exist.

MicroStrategy's market cap is about $28 billion. Its bitcoin holdings are worth about $15.2 billion.

The report notes that the bitcoin price currently implied by MicroStrategy’s share price is $177,000, which is two and a half times the spot price of the cryptocurrency.

“The days when MicroStrategy shares represented a rare, unique way to gain access to bitcoin are long over,” the note said, adding that “bitcoin is now easily obtainable through brokerages, crypto exchanges and more recently low fee exchange-traded products (ETPs) and exchange-traded funds (ETFs).”

MicroStrategy didn’t respond to a request for comment before publication.

Kerrisdale isn't the only investor selling shares of MicroStrategy short. Total short interest in crypto stocks is $10.7 billion, with MicroStrategy and Coinbase (COIN) making up 84% of the bearish bets, according to a report from S3 Partners.

Read more: Crypto Stocks Like MicroStrategy, Coinbase Could Shoot Up if Short Sellers Exit

UPDATE (March 28, 15:21 UTC): Updates headline and story throughout to include share price move, company valuation.

More For You

Protocol Research: GoPlus Security

GP Basic Image

What to know:

  • As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
  • GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
  • Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.

More For You

Crypto Markets Today: Bitcoin Stuck in Post-Fed Range as Altcoins Slump Deepens

Bitcoin remains flat. (Sebastian Huxley/Unsplash)

Bitcoin remains trapped in a range despite the U.S. rate cut, while altcoins and memecoins struggle to attract risk appetite amid shifting investor behavior.

What to know:

  • BTC briefly dipped below $90,000 after Wednesday's 25 basis-point U.S. rate cut before rebounding, but price action lacked a clear fundamental catalyst.
  • Tokens such as JUP, KAS and QNT posted double-digit weekly losses, while CoinMarketCap’s altcoin season index fell to a cycle low of 16/100.
  • CoinDesk’s Memecoin Index is down 59% year-to-date versus a 7.3% decline in the CD10, highlighting a shift from retail-driven hype to more institutionally led, slower-moving markets.