Coinbase ($COIN) in Limbo as CEO Continues Selling Shares, Analysts Issue Downgrades

Bitcoin Magazine

Coinbase ($COIN) in Limbo as CEO Continues Selling Shares, Analysts Issue Downgrades

Shares of the largest publicly traded U.S. crypto exchange, Coinbase, fell this week as the broader crypto market takes a hit in prices, and as the market grapples with news insider selling and analyst predictions. 

Monness Crespi & Hardt downgraded $COIN from “buy” to “neutral,” citing downside risk tied to weakening crypto market conditions. The firm set a price target of $120, implying more than 20% downside from recent trading levels.

The downgrade comes as the stock has struggled in early 2026 amid a broader pullback in digital assets. COIN opened Thursday around $153, down nearly 10% from intra-week highs, and is now off roughly 34% since the start of the year.

Coinbase’s decline reflects the cooling of crypto markets after last year’s rally. Bitcoin has fallen about 30% over the past month, while major altcoins have posted even steeper losses. The downturn has reduced trading volumes across the sector, squeezing one of Coinbase’s core revenue drivers.

Analysts are critical of Coinbase ($COIN)

Analysts across Wall Street have begun revising their forecasts. JPMorgan recently cut its Coinbase price target by 27%, pointing to lower spot trading volumes, declining crypto market capitalization, and weakening stablecoin activity, including softer USDC circulation.

“We view global crypto spot trading as highly fragmented, with dozens of smaller players threatening Coinbase’s market share,” JPMorgan analysts wrote in a note shared with Decrypt, warning that Coinbase could lose the “regulated monopoly” it has enjoyed as the only major publicly traded crypto exchange for several years.

Other firms have also adjusted their outlooks. 

Cantor Fitzgerald reduced its target price from $277 to $221 while maintaining an overweight rating. Citi trimmed its own target from $505 to $400 but kept a buy stance, reflecting longer-term optimism despite near-term headwinds.

The stock now holds a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy,” with 19 analysts rating the stock a buy, 12 assigning a hold, and one issuing a sell. The average price target across analysts stands near $332, suggesting many still see upside from current levels.

Brian Armstrong is dumping some of his shares

VanEck’s head of digital assets research Matthew Sigel reported that Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has sold more than 1.5 million shares between April 2025 and January 2026, worth approximately $545 million based on Bloomberg pricing data. 

The largest single sale occurred on June 25, when Armstrong disposed of 336,265 shares at roughly $355 per share.

Armstrong responded publicly on X, defending his selling as a diversification move after more than a decade with most of his wealth tied to one company.

“It would be a little crazy after 13 years, to have 99.999% of your net worth in one stock,” Armstrong wrote at the time, adding that he remains “super long” on Coinbase and has used proceeds to start new companies.

H.C. Wainwright analyst Mike Colonnese recently warned Coinbase could miss on net revenue and adjusted EBITDA, driven by soft digital asset prices and unrealized crypto losses. He also flagged the possibility of a large headline earnings loss due to Coinbase’s crypto holdings and its stake in Circle.

“We would not be surprised to see shares trade lower on the optics of a large reported net loss,” Colonnese wrote, though he maintained a buy rating and said he would view post-earnings weakness as a buying opportunity.

All this is happening as the Bitcoin price extended its steep decline today after a multi-month-long slide that erased more than half of its value from its October peak, with the Bitcoin price now trading near $66,000 following a sharp sell-off that pushed prices toward $60,000.

Since roughly December 2025, the bitcoin price has followed a pretty straightforward downward trajectory, falling from levels above $100,000 into a volatile range that has kept traders focused on whether the market has reached a durable floor.

This post Coinbase ($COIN) in Limbo as CEO Continues Selling Shares, Analysts Issue Downgrades first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.