Wall Street analysts slash Coinbase price targets after Q4 miss — but shares rally
Barclays, Benchmark, Clear Street, and JPMorgan all cut targets, citing weak retail trading and macro headwinds.
What to know:
- Coinbase shares rose 12% even as the company missed fourth-quarter revenue and profit expectations and reported a significant hit from unrealized crypto and strategic investment losses.
- Several analysts cut their price targets and flagged near-term earnings and consumer monetization pressures.
- However, analysts highlighted the company’s growing derivatives business, stablecoin footprint and subscription offerings as signs of a more diversified model.
Shares of Coinbase (COIN) jumped 12% Friday despite the crypto exchange missing fourth-quarter earnings expectations, as analysts reacted to the report with a mix of caution on short-term pressures and optimism about the company’s evolving business model.
The company posted net revenue of $1.71 billion, below Wall Street estimates of $1.81 billion, while its core operating profit (adjusted EBITDA) came in at $566 million, missing the consensus of around $653 million.
Coinbase reported a net loss of $667 million under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), primarily due to a $718 million unrealized loss on its crypto investment portfolio and a $395 million loss on strategic investments.
Barclays analyst Benjamin Budish called Q4 “a miss across the board,” citing weak transaction and subscription revenues alongside higher-than-expected operating expenses. Budish lowered his price target to $149 from $258, writing that trading activity, stablecoin-related interest income and crypto asset prices still account for most of Coinbase’s performance.
