Coinbase downgraded as Q1 ’likely to be light’ says Monness, Crespi, Hardt

Published 06/05/2025, 15:04
© Reuters

Investing.com -- Coinbase shares may face near-term pressure according to Monness, Crespi, Hardt analysts. 

The firm downgraded the stock to Neutral from Buy and removed its price target in a note on Tuesday, citing expectations for a weaker-than-anticipated first quarter and a disappointing Q2 outlook.

“We downgrade to Neutral… on concern 1Q25 likely to be light,” analysts wrote in a note, also removing their price target. 

They attributed the call to “tepid QTD txn revenue results” and said the move is “tactical around print as we expect a miss/estimate revision down.”

Monness estimates transaction revenue fell roughly 12% quarter-over-quarter, exacerbated by a rising mix of lower-fee stablecoin trades. They warned that “subscription + services ETH price drag doesn’t seem to be fully appreciated by consensus.”

Coinbase’s market share is said to remain a bright spot. “Share of volumes looks remarkably healthy,” analysts wrote, noting that trading declines in March and April were “more muted than market.”

The firm also flagged new risks from Washington, specifically delays to the GENIUS Act, a proposed stablecoin regulatory framework. 

The bill “hit some snags over the weekend” after nine Democratic senators withdrew support, citing concerns over anti-money laundering provisions and regulatory oversight. This leaves “an air gap to the 60 votes needed” to advance the legislation, says the firm.

Monness believes the current version of the bill could create “heightened regulatory complexity,” with fragmented oversight and compliance challenges that may limit industry scalability. 

By contrast, they state that the STABLE Act, which requires federal supervision and a bank license, “quite possibly ends up as a net benefit to Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN),” given its compliance-forward posture.

Despite the downgrade, the firm remains positive on Coinbase in the long term, citing “TAM expansion and real-world utility” and improving profitability. 

“Economics of this business over time are more likely than not to continue improving as a matter of scale,” they wrote.

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers
© 2007-2025 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.