As the popularity of cryptocurrencies — especially Bitcoin and Ethereum — surges,Coinbase Global(COIN) is at the forefront of the cryptocurrency industry. After the company's hyped IPO, is Coinbase stock a buy or sell in the current stock market rally?
Coinbase Stock IPO
The crypto giantlaunched its direct listingon the Nasdaq on April 14, pricing at 250 a share. Coinbase stock shot up nearly 72% to 429.54 before closing its first day of trading at 328.28, up 31.3%, for a valuation of $87.3 billion.
Analysts expect the Coinbase IPO to give the cryptocurrency market increased validation.
"The Coinbase IPO is potentially a watershed event for the crypto industry and will be something the Street will be laser-focused on to gauge investor appetite," Wedbush analyst Dan Ives wrote in a note to clients. "Coinbase is a foundational piece of the crypto ecosystem and is a barometer for the growing mainstream adoption of Bitcoin and crypto for the coming years."
How Does Coinbase Make Money?
Coinbaseis the largest U.S. cryptocurrency exchange. It lists about 50 cryptocurrencies for trading, led by Bitcoin and Ethereum.Bitcoin is the largest digital coinby market value and is up more than 70% so far this year. Ethereum has more than tripled in 2021,according to Coindesk.
Coinbase chargesfees of several percentage points to deposit funds and trade, which is one of the main ways the company makes money. Roughly 90% of the company's revenue, as of 2020, came from transaction fees from trading and services like storage.
Coinbase Stock Fundamental Analysis: Huge Earnings And Sales Growth
Ahead of the company's debut, Coinbaseissued estimateson April 6 for its first quarter ended March 31 and an outlook for the full year ending Dec. 31, 2021. The company expects verified users of 56 million with $223 billion assets on platform, representing an 11.3% crypto asset market share.
Coinbase has yet to post results as a public company. The crypto giant turned profitable in 2020, earning $1.64 per share on revenue of $1.28 billion. Last quarter, EPS soared 743% year over year to 90 cents per share on sales of $585.1 million. Revenue surged 495% vs. the year-earlier period.
Looking at the current quarter, analysts expect the company to earn $2.97 per share, a whopping 1,756% increase. Meanwhile, sales are expected to skyrocket 849% to $1.81 billion.
On April 26, thecompany announcedit will discuss its first quarter financial results on May 13 after the stock market close.
COIN Stock Technical Analysis
COIN stock is trading about 40% off its post-IPO highs. Shares are forming an IPO base with a 429.64 buy point, which will be the stock's firstbuy point.Shares are far from the new entry.
According to the IBD Stock Checkup,Coinbase stockshows a mild 44 out of a perfect 99IBD Composite Rating. The Composite Rating helps investors easily measure a stock's fundamental and technical metrics. Weak IBD Composite Ratings are normal for new issues.
Coinbase Stock News
On April 22, Mizuho analyst Dan Dolev initiated coverage on the stock with a neutral rating and a 285 price target. "Over time, Coinbase pricing — and industry pricing in general — may face downward pressure from platforms like PayPal and Cash App," Dolev commented. "This is because PayPal and Cash App primarily use their crypto trading products as engagement tools, whereas Coinbase relies on its crypto trading products as its main source of revenue and profitability."
Is Coinbase Stock A Buy Right Now?
Coinbase stock rallied almost 3% Friday.
Bitcoin traded around $58,190 Sunday evening. On April 14, Bitcoin topped out at $64,829,according to Coindesk.Meanwhile, Ethereum set a record high Sunday, trading as high as $3,989 before easing.
For now, the stock is not a buy because it is not at the stock's new buy point, as it trades over 40% off its all-time high.
For more leading stocks and stocks approaching buy points, check out these IBD Stock Lists, like the Stocks Near Buy Zones. To see the current stock market trend, check out IBD's signature daily analysis, The Big Picture.