Coinbase shares have surged by 47% in 2024 as the cryptocurrency exchange capitalizes on a renewed interest in digital assets.
The company’s strong performance was due to a diversified product portfolio, expanding partnerships and a growing user base.
Despite recent disappointing earnings and insider selling plans, analysts remain confident about the positive development of the COIN stock.
Coinbase shares have jumped by 47% in 2024 , reaching $255.56 per share. As the largest registered cryptocurrency exchange in the U.S., Coinbase holds a market cap of $64 billion, with an average trading volume of 13.4 million shares over the past three months.
The company’s growth has been driven by strengthened banking partnerships, new licenses and a wide-ranging product portfolio designed to meet customer demands.
Coinbase has steadily increased its market share in both U.S. spot and derivatives trading while exploring international expansion. Additionally, the growing adoption of stablecoins further boosted its revenue.
Coinbase is focused on increasing crypto utility, with a goal of onboarding over a billion users into the crypto ecosystem. Its investments in infrastructure, layer-2 platforms, like Base, and strategic partnerships, such as the collaboration with Stripe for global crypto adoption, reflect its dedication to growth.
The company’s transition to a subscription-based model has enabled it to sustain positive EBITDA for six consecutive quarters, supported by strong liquidity to fund strategic initiatives and expand its service offerings.
Coinbase released disappointing third-quarter results in late October, primarily due to subdued cryptocurrency trading activity. However, the company remained profitable and optimistic about a more active trading environment in the fourth quarter.
For the third quarter—the latest available data—Coinbase reported earnings per share of $0.28, missing the expected $0.41 and revenue of $1.21 billion, falling short of the forecasted $1.26 billion.
The company’s net income reached $75.5 million, driven by a 98% year-over-year increase in retail trading revenue, which amounted to $483.3 million.
However, Coinbase’s cryptocurrency investment portfolio faced $121 million in pre-tax losses, largely from unrealized losses on its holdings.
Revenue from the subscription and services segment, which includes stablecoins, staking, and Prime trading, rose by 66% year-over-year, reaching $556.1 million.
However, the company predicted flat growth in this segment due to the then decline in Ether’s price and the potential impact of interest rate cuts.
Stablecoins continued to grow in popularity in 2024, contributing to Coinbase’s revenue, which increased by 43% to $246.9 million from the prior year. Despite this, potential interest rate cuts in the U.S. could affect the revenue from stablecoin reserves.
Wall Street analysts have set an average target price of $298.11 for Coinbase stock, with estimates ranging from a high of $420 to a low of $170. This average target suggests a potential upside of 16% from the current price of $257.21.
For the fourth quarter of 2024, analysts see Coinbase’s earnings per share (EPS) at $1.36, with forecasts ranging between $0.10 and $4.45. In the previous quarter, the company reported an EPS of $0.28.
Over the past year, Coinbase has exceeded its EPS estimates by 50%, compared to the broader industry, which surpassed expectations 63.2% of the time. This indicates that Coinbase has underperformed relative to its peers.
Despite this, analysts remain largely positive on Coinbase , with many issuing Strong Buy recommendations. However, concerns have arisen as several major insiders, including CEO Brian Armstrong, plan to sell up to $900 million worth of company stock over the next year.
This move follows a disappointing third-quarter earnings report, which has sparked fears of further company performance declines.
Looking further ahead, the projected price for Coinbase by the end of 2025 is $450, representing an 81% year-over-year change. From today’s price to the year-end, this would signify a 75% rise.
By mid-2025, the price is expected to reach $310. In the first half of 2026, Coinbase is forecasted to climb to $501, with a slight increase in the second half to $509, marking a 98% gain from its current value.
For 2030, analysts expect the price to reach $876 per share.
Additional reporting by Teuta Franjkovic