Why Riot Platforms Stock Blasted Nearly 5% Higher on Thursday

News of a prominent investor's entry into Riot Platforms (NASDAQ: RIOT) juiced the cryptocurrency miner and investor's stock on Thursday. Eager investors piled into its shares, sending their value almost 5% higher on the day. That made the stock something of an outlier, as its leap well into positive territory contrasted with the S&P 500 index's 0.5% decline that session.

An activist apparently buys in

That morning, The Wall Street Journal reported that Starboard Value, a veteran corporate gadfly, had purchased a "significant" shareholding in Riot. Citing unidentified "people familiar with the matter," the newspaper added that -- per its usual approach, and that of other activist investors -- Starboard will advocate for changes at the company.

The Journal added that it couldn't ascertain the exact size of Starboard's stake.

The two companies have apparently already been discussing Riot's operations. According to the newspaper, Starboard expressed the desire for Riot to convert some of its mining facilities into centers for hyperscalers (large data-center users). Such a move would theoretically increase capacity for mining crypto, chiefly its money asset Bitcoin.

Riot admitted that discussions had taken place with the activist investor. In a statement quoted by the Journal, the company said -- rather blandly -- that "We are committed to creating value for all shareholders, and we look forward to constructive dialogue with Starboard on ways to achieve this shared goal."

Starboard has not yet issued an official statement on its involvement with Riot.

Lagging behind

Starboard likely shares the concern of other Riot shareholders, who have seen their company's share price growth lag behind that of rivals and peers. Earlier this year, Riot stumbled in its attempts to merge with fellow Bitcoin miner Bitfarms, and some are concerned that it's been missing out on the recent series of rallies that have seen many cryptos and related assets soar in value.