New York, January 2, 2026, 10:28 ET — Regular session
- Strategy shares rose about 1.1% in morning trade after it disclosed a higher payout rate on its variable-rate preferred stock.
- A company filing set the STRC preferred dividend rate at 11% and declared a January cash dividend.
- Crypto-linked stocks broadly firmed as bitcoin traded higher; investors are also watching an MSCI index decision due by Jan. 15.
Strategy Inc (MSTR) shares rose 1.1% to $153.63 as of 10:13 a.m. ET on Friday, after swinging between $150.03 and $156.75 earlier in the session. The move came after the company disclosed a higher dividend rate on one of its preferred share classes.
The filing matters because Strategy has become a bellwether “bitcoin treasury” trade — a company that holds bitcoin on its balance sheet and is often treated by investors as a proxy for the cryptocurrency. Its common shares can amplify bitcoin moves, for better or worse.
It also puts the spotlight back on funding costs at a time when investors have been scrutinizing how bitcoin-heavy firms raise capital. Strategy, formerly MicroStrategy, changed its legal name to Strategy Inc in 2025 as it leaned harder into the crypto-treasury identity.
In an 8-K, Strategy said it increased the regular dividend rate on its Variable Rate Series A Perpetual Stretch Preferred Stock to 11.00% from 10.75%, effective for monthly periods starting on or after Jan. 1. The board also declared a cash dividend of $0.916666667 per share for the month ending Jan. 31, payable Jan. 31 to stockholders of record as of 5:00 p.m. New York time on Jan. 15, the filing showed.
Preferred stock is a class of shares that typically pays dividends before common stock and ranks ahead of common equity in a liquidation. “Perpetual” means it has no maturity date, while “variable-rate” means the dividend can reset over time rather than staying fixed.
Bitcoin was up about 1.3% at around $88,985, and other crypto-linked stocks also rose. Coinbase gained about 1.9%, while miners Marathon Digital and Riot Platforms were up roughly 5.2% and 6.3%, respectively.
Strategy chairman Michael Saylor highlighted the higher payout in a Dec. 31 post, writing: “Stretch goes to 11% in January 2026. $STRC.” X (formerly Twitter)
For common shareholders, the tweak to a preferred dividend rate is not the same as a raise to the common stock payout. But it can shape how investors think about Strategy’s cost of capital — especially for a company whose financing strategy is closely watched alongside bitcoin’s price swings.
Friday’s early trading range left the day’s low near $150 as the first support level and the mid-$150s as the first upside test, based on the session’s low and high. A break beyond either end often draws fast-money interest in a stock as volatile as MSTR.
Beyond day-to-day crypto moves, investors are also watching index-related headlines. MSCI is due by Jan. 15 to decide whether to exclude companies whose digital-asset holdings represent 50% or more of total assets from its benchmarks, a move analysts have said could curb passive fund demand for the shares.
The next immediate dates on Strategy’s calendar are the Jan. 15 record date and Jan. 31 payment date tied to the STRC dividend, along with any further updates posted to its investor dashboard on crypto holdings and market metrics.
For now, the common stock remains tethered to bitcoin’s direction and to how cheaply Strategy can fund its balance sheet strategy. Traders will be looking for the next catalyst that can break the stock out of its recent range.
