Dilikoglu ResearchIDEAS. ANALYSIS. PERSPECTIVE.
AI INFRASTRUCTURE · CIFR

Cipher Digital stock research & valuation

Published Coverage · HPC infrastructure landlord / developer

Overview

DILIKOGLU RESEARCH VIEW · MODEL 2026-09-30

Investment summary

HOLD · High risk · Target $16 USD · 12–18 months · Report 2026-10-05
Reference $15.70 (2026-10-02); implied upside 1.9%. Dated reference, not a current quote. Read recommendation →

Frozen publication snapshot: Base intrinsic value $16.24 rounded to $16. Probability-weighted value $12.46 and finite-lease DCF $8.49 are separate measures.

Base target: above +15% BUY, below -15% SELL, otherwise HOLD against the frozen reference over 12–18 months. High risk; simulation frequencies are not calibrated probabilities.

Cipher’s investment case rests on contracted HPC lease cash flows and the conversion of development sites into financeable projects. Construction costs, financing terms and dilution determine how much project value reaches each share.

Current model Base fair value / share
$16.24
Current model probability-weighted fair value / share
$12.46
Key catalyst
Reveille/Ulysses lease conversion and project financing
Principal risk
Pipeline conversion may fall short of risked capacity assumptions.

USD per share. Valuations are DR model estimates, separate from dated report targets. Scenario probabilities and supporting assumptions appear below.

Latest available price
Unavailable
Base return vs latest price
—

October 1 review: site-level refinancing, Stingray NOI-based amortization proxy, annual tax ledgers and conditional pipeline milestones. Actual tax basis, future commitments and pipeline signing probabilities remain explicitly estimated. Evidence review →

Primary operating KPI
Lease NOI / critical IT MW
Last recorded model update
2026-09-30
Explore the analytical model → · Portfolio Analytics →

Investment Thesis

Lease cash flow after construction, refinancing and dilution

  1. Contracted HPC leases are valued through lease cash flow and NOI rather than neocloud ARR multiples.
  2. Uncontracted power and sites receive readiness-weighted development value, with delivery and financing gates.
  3. Project debt reduces the external equity requirement but does not remove residual funding and dilution.

Variant perception

The key comparison is contracted lease value plus risked development NAV, after capital requirements. NOI per MW is not directly comparable with GPU-cloud ARR per MW.

What could make us wrong

Cost overruns, rent delays, or insufficient debt-service capacity

Key catalysts

Reveille/Ulysses lease conversion and project financing

Scenario conclusions are Dilikoglu Research estimates. Company evidence, management guidance and analyst assumptions are distinguished in the analytical model.

Scenario Valuation

ScenarioProbabilityFair value / shareReturn vs price
Failure10%$0.00—
Bear25%$0.00—
Base45%$16.24—
Bull20%$25.74—

Probability-weighted fair value: $12.46

Blended stabilized-NOI SOTP; DCF cross-check

Monte Carlo median: $12.55. Distributional cross-check, separate from the scenario valuation.

Blended NOI capitalization scenario mixture with correlated execution, leasing, costs, cap rates, credit and market shocks.

Key Base-case drivers · model 2026-09-30

These selected forecast inputs are Dilikoglu Research estimates. Units are shown explicitly; debt funding is not a lender commitment. Reported anchors and management guidance are distinguished in the full model source register.

InputBase estimateUnits
Contracted cap rate5.50%
Pipeline cap rate6.50%
Pipeline starting NOI / IT MW1.55USD m
Pipeline capital / IT MW11.00USD m
Assumed common issue price24.00USD / share
Future ungranted SBC reserve0.25USD bn
Scenario contributions and downside sensitivity

Derived from the current model above. These are scenario-weighted estimates, not calibrated probabilities of future returns.

ScenarioWeightFair valueContribution to PW
Failure10%$0.00$0.00
Bear25%$0.00$0.00
Base45%$16.24$7.31
Bull20%$25.74$5.15

Bull contributes 41.3% of PW. Material upside-tail dependence: the weighted value should not be read as a typical outcome.

Excluding Bull and renormalizing the other weights to 100%: $9.14. Formula: sum of non-Bull weighted values ÷ (1 − Bull weight). This is a conditional diagnostic, not a replacement target.

Scenario mechanisms and weight limitations

The weights are analyst priors. The mechanisms below explain what each case represents; they do not statistically establish the numerical probability. Similar weights across companies should not be interpreted as equal default risk.

Failure · 10%: Construction, lease conversion and capital requirements overwhelm net property value after financing.

Bear · 25%: Weaker project economics and funding frictions exhaust the common residual; zero is not a negotiated creditor-recovery estimate.

Base · 45%: Contracted leases and risked pipeline value support equity, conditional on completion budgets, refinancing and the judgmental capitalization rates.

Bull · 20%: More pipeline conversion and stronger capital access raise residual equity; undeveloped capacity remains conditional, not contracted rent.

Weight changes require an evidence-based review of contract coverage, delivery, financing and balance-sheet capacity. No weights have been adjusted to match the market price.

Valuation robustness review · 14 October 2026

Uniform contracted/pipeline cap-rate pairs across scenarios; other inputs retained. Both capitalization cases use the indicated pair. Funding, taxes and dilution are recalculated. The lower Base rate is a DR judgment, not directly supported by the reviewed transaction above 6.5%; asset and lease comparability remain unresolved.

Published baseline: Base $16.24; PW $12.46. The stress pairs below replace cap rates across every scenario; the first row is therefore not the published PW.

Contracted / pipeline cap rateBase fair valuePW fair value
5.5% / 6.5%$16.24$14.75
6.0% / 7.0%$12.49$11.27
7.0% / 8.0%$6.49$5.75

A lower cap rate is not justified merely by tenant credit. Comparable lease escalators, duration, maintenance obligations, stabilized occupancy and residual building value must also support it. No automatic cloud-business premium is added.

Model

Model scope: Scenario-based independent research. Interactive controls are diagnostics; published valuation outputs reflect the published research baseline.

Open full analytical model →

Explore the interactive model here

Research

Revision history

This register begins with the documented baseline below. It is not a complete historical track record. Snapshot values remain fixed; the investment summary reflects the current published model.

· Report publication

Initiation of coverage

Read the dated research update →

What changed: Published the 5 October edition with early access, HOLD and a $16 Base-case target.

Why: Present the contracted-property, funding and pipeline underwriting in a frozen report.

Valuation impact: Base $16.24; probability-weighted value $12.46. Publication itself did not change the September 30 model; the prior September 13 baseline used different underwriting. See the endpoint comparison below.

Recorded Base fair value
$16.24
Recorded PW fair value
$12.46
Model date 2026-09-30 · USD per share · DR estimates

Change from recorded 2026-09-13 entry: Base -6.04; PW -8.33 USD per share. These are differences between recorded endpoints, not isolated causal contributions.

The change description identifies the combined underwriting revision. A reproducible dollar-per-share attribution among interacting operating, financing and valuation drivers has not been reconstructed; the endpoint difference is not presented as a causal driver walk.

Model provenance

Model SHA-256: 636f1ae069161c335b8f3cb193361133b976481b49c274097b7a69f8db1e0953

This fingerprint identifies the model file used to record these values.

View current model · Review source disclosures

· Baseline recorded

Published model baseline documented

What changed: Added a concise investment summary and began the public revision register. No valuation assumptions or model economics changed in this update.

Why: Provide a dated starting point for tracking future research and valuation changes.

Valuation impact: No change from this documentation update. Earlier model revisions have not been reconstructed.

Recorded Base fair value
$22.28
Recorded PW fair value
$20.79
Model date 2026-09-13 · USD per share · DR estimates
Model provenance

Model SHA-256: b3aa003f64d028e9401cdcdf440e05ed089d2c5b3d8b9f3d909aed53efe0bc5d

This fingerprint identifies the model file used to record these values.

View current model · Review source disclosures

Sources

Key Evidence

Filings and contractual documents take priority, followed by company materials and then third-party context. Forecasts are DR estimates.

Evidence review 2026-10-01 · October 1 review: site-level refinancing, Stingray NOI-based amortization proxy, annual tax ledgers and conditional pipeline milestones. Actual tax basis, future commitments and pipeline signing probabilities remain explicitly estimated.

June cash, restricted cash, note principal and carrying amounts; contractual award schedules and warrant floor. Primary source →

September Barber Lake amendment: revised phased delivery and separately contracted follow-on economics. Primary source →

Black Pearl and Stingray each disclose three five-year tenant extension options. These are distinguished from guaranteed base-term rent and are not double-counted above terminal sale value. Primary source →

Stingray indenture sets a 1.25x NOI-based amortization target; the engine uses a disclosed quarterly equivalent, not exact semiannual covenant testing. Primary source →

The 2025 tax note reports historical NOLs but says an ownership-change study has not been completed. Base grants no historical NOL benefit; usability is stress-tested. Primary source →

Open Evidence Items

These material limitations remain relevant to valuation; a published report does not resolve them.

Cost to complete and cash restrictions · Material assumption

Status
Estimated and sensitivity-tested
Why it matters
Changes affect liquidity, equity issuance and project NAV.
Model treatment
Q3 construction spend, project remaining costs, reserve release and refinancing are DR estimates.
Valuation impact
See project cost and refinancing sensitivities.

Award reconciliation and future settlement · Residual uncertainty

Status
Disclosed vesting schedules applied; small residual retained
Why it matters
Avoid adding already vested PSUs to basic shares; hedge and warrant settlement can differ.
Model treatment
2025 vesting schedule leaves half the original 5.604621m award at June30; vested shares are not added again. Maximum scenario reconciles to the 18.593624m anti-dilutive disclosure using a 0.050951m unexplained reserve; post-June vesting remains unverified.
Valuation impact
See dilution sensitivities.

Capitalization and tax estimates · Material valuation assumption

Status
Transaction anchor and cash reconciliation added
Why it matters
Changes affect property NAV, lease-end liquidity and equity dilution.
Model treatment
Base 5.5% contracted / 6.5% pipeline rates are approved DR judgments, below the reviewed transaction anchor for contracted assets. Operating and disposal taxes reconcile to funding; actual tax basis and future financing remain estimates.
Valuation impact
See capitalization sensitivities, DCF cross-check and disclosed Bear financing threshold.

Conditional pipeline execution · Material assumption

Status
Named-site gates and cancellation/delay sensitivities implemented
Why it matters
Power access alone does not establish leased and financed commercial capacity.
Model treatment
Forecast lease, financing, construction and power dates control rent commencement; joint probabilities are applied once and remain analyst judgments.
Valuation impact
See named-site delay and cancellation sensitivities in Catalysts & Sources.
Full Evidence Register

The original model ledger below records its verification status at the model date. The dated review above identifies subsequent checks and remaining limitations.

Blended stabilized-NOI SOTP. Scenario capitalization cases combine at property NAV before one equity-claims calculation. Base uses 5.5% contracted / 6.5% pipeline in both legs. Signed lease rents are unchanged. Cap rates, conversion probabilities, corporate cash-tax reserves and funding remain DR estimates, not observed transaction pricing. The contract DCF remains a cross-check.

Contract cash flows

Dilikoglu Research estimate · First-year rent = nominal term revenue / sum of annual 3% escalators. Phase shares distribute commencement; each hall receives its complete term.

Signed revenue is fixed. Barber blended margin is a DR estimate; AWS 100% NOI is guidance. Barber follow-on is separate from residual value.

Opening cash roll-forward

Dilikoglu Research estimate · June cash less $0.9bn Q3 project spend and $0.04bn corporate burn plus $0.01bn estimated NOI.

No post-June actual balance is represented. June restricted cash remains ring-fenced; $0.35bn held through completion plus two years.

Remaining construction

Dilikoglu Research estimate · Initial estimated budget $4.7535bn − reported CIP $1.676099bn + unpaid capital $0.542730bn − deposits $0.055998bn + capitalized interest $0.023203bn + estimated other-site CIP $0.05bn = $3.637336bn June cash cost to complete; less $0.9bn Q3 payments. Barber overruns are additional.

Budget uses $9.5m/IT MW for Barber and Black Pearl and $10.5m for Stingray. Barber initial budget, CIP scope and allocation (39/42.5/18.5%) are DR estimates. Adding accrued unpaid capital prevents treating accounting additions as cash already spent; finance interest remains in funding cash flow.

Barber reimbursement

Dilikoglu Research estimate · 50% × max(overrun − $0.3593bn,0) amortized as 20-year rent at estimated 8% return.

Full overrun paid up front; no instant cash reimbursement and no guarantee of the undisclosed contracted return.

Pipeline

Dilikoglu Research estimate · Named-site milestone scheduling with per-site delay/cancellation stresses. Existing stage probabilities are joint outcomes; do not multiply separate gate probabilities or treat forecast milestone dates as achieved facts.

No empirical signing probability or guaranteed construction date is available. Site financing is conditional on a modeled executed lease; generic four-quarter build duration remains an estimate.

Funding and valuation boundary

Dilikoglu Research estimate · Blended property appraisals less remaining construction; subtract one corporate tax reserve, overhead, SBC and existing principal. New borrowing is financing-neutral in NAV.

Quarterly contract-hold liquidity separately services interest, amortization and maturities. Common equity is raised at modeled cash-need dates; discounted proceeds and investor claims enter consistently. No appraised stabilization value is treated as a funding receipt; lease-end gains taxes are explicitly estimated.

Awards

Dilikoglu Research estimate · 10.571379m service RSUs + 2.8023105m estimated remaining 2025 earned PSUs + 2.179406m 2026 target × 0/0.5/1/2.25 + 0.132660m service-provider target × 0/0.5/1/2 + residual reserve.

2025 vesting schedule leaves half the original 5.604621m award at June30; vested shares are not added again. Maximum scenario reconciles to the 18.593624m anti-dilutive disclosure using a 0.050951m unexplained reserve; post-June vesting remains unverified.

Warrants and converts

Dilikoglu Research estimate · Google warrant shares=max(24.178576m,430m / separate settlement-price assumption). Note principal stays in debt; only net premium dilutes.

Price floor is measured at the contractual exercise-window reference, not intrinsic value. Full capped-call realization is an estimate; downside stress removes hedge protection.

Refinancing

Dilikoglu Research estimate · Each project supports only its own refinancing capacity; future corporate refinancing is limited to estimated residual portfolio capacity.

Future credit remains uncommitted. Site-level sizing prevents unrelated project NOI from directly supporting a facility. Releasing residual collateral for corporate borrowing requires lender consent and is a DR assumption, not a covenant certification. Quarter-equivalent payments omit contractual day counts and stub periods.

Colchis minority ownership

Dilikoglu Research estimate · Hold June disclosed 76% ownership constant; apply to both development capital and property cash flow.

The $25.679m redeemable NCI carrying amount is not deducted on top of proportionate project economics. Future capital contributions, dilution and redemption rights could change this allocation.

Issuance and warrant reference prices

Dilikoglu Research estimate · Future issuance prices are solved from intrinsic value, timing, equity return and issuance discount. Warrant-window reference remains $12/$16/$17.73/$24.

Legacy fixed issuePrice fields are inactive under timedFunding; warrant reference is a distinct contractual-window estimate, not intrinsic value.

Capitalization rates

Dilikoglu Research estimate · Base contracted cap rate 5.5%; pipeline 6.5%. Both capitalization legs coincide in Base; other scenarios retain their disclosed ranges.

User-approved Dilikoglu Research estimate. The June 2026 Digital Realty transaction disclosed over 6.5%, so 5.5% is a lower-yield valuation judgment, not a rate established by that comparable. Pipeline retains a 100bp premium. The wider 6%/7% and 7%/8% blend is retained as a sensitivity.

Lease-end disposal and taxes

Dilikoglu Research estimate · Next-year NOI capitalized at each valuation-case rate +100bp aging spread; blend gross proceeds; deduct 20/15/10/5% refurbishment and 2% selling cost, then 23% of positive gain over estimated remaining tax basis.

Same net proceeds and disposal taxes flow through the DCF, cash funding schedule and corporate SOTP tax reserve. Initial tax basis uses full construction budget; land 10%, equipment45%/15yr, structure45%/39yr. No speculative NOL offset or tax refund on losses. These are explicit estimates, not reported tax advice.

Timed common equity funding

Dilikoglu Research estimate · Quarterly net cash need / (1 − issuance fee); round price = solved IV × (1 + equity return)^time × (1 − issuance discount). Base fees 2%, issuance discount 10%, equity return 12%.

Future proceeds and investor claims are discounted consistently. Issuing at fair value creates no free value; fees and issuance discount reduce existing shareholders’ NAV. Nonpositive remaining NAV requires recapitalization, with zero common recovery assumed rather than a discontinuous rescue.

Explicit cash-tax schedules

Dilikoglu Research estimate · Annual operating taxable income, interest-capacity and NOL ledgers are pooled by calendar year; forecast annual operating cash tax is allocated evenly to modeled quarters for liquidity planning. The opening 2026 and closing 2051 periods are partial years. Separate unlevered and levered ledgers; 30% EBITDA-style ATI proxy, interest carryforward and 80% NOL offset limit. No historical NOL credit without a Section 382 study. Disposal gains separately taxed without NOL relief.

Not a tax return: combined 23% rate, asset basis, cost segregation, straight-line depreciation and quarterly payment allocation are estimates. No bonus depreciation assumed in Base. Annual opening/closing stub periods omit unmodeled quarters. No filing valuation allowance is treated as cash; no tax benefit on disposal losses.

Credit sizing

Dilikoglu Research estimate · Construction debt is sized per site by LTC and stabilized NOI debt-service capacity. Refinancing is sized on each site’s own current NOI, cap rate, DSCR and LTV, shared among its outstanding tranches. Corporate notes can use only residual modeled portfolio capacity after project debt; no automatic access to pledged project collateral is assumed.

Future credit remains uncommitted. Site-level sizing prevents unrelated project NOI from directly supporting a facility. Releasing residual collateral for corporate borrowing requires lender consent and is a DR assumption, not a covenant certification. Quarter-equivalent payments omit contractual day counts and stub periods.

Company Filings

Company Materials

See the company model’s evidence register for applicable disclosures.

Financing / Counterparty Sources

Regulatory / Infrastructure Sources

See the company model’s evidence register for applicable disclosures.

Industry / Market Data

See the company model’s evidence register for applicable disclosures.

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