SoFi vs. Coinbase: Which Crypto Trading Platform Stock is a Better Buy?

: SOFI | SoFi Technologies Inc. News, Ratings, and Charts

SOFI – SoFi Technologies (SOFI), and Coinbase Global (COIN) are both cryptocurrency broker dealers. Which is currently the better investment?.

Over the past two years, the cryptocurrency industry has been gaining mainstream acceptance.  Currently, there are over 7,500 various cryptocurrencies and collectively, they are worth more than $2 trillion.

This market is predicted to grow substantially in the next decade.  So it might be prudent to look to invest in companies that offer infrastructure-based services for cryptocurrencies, such as trading platforms, which should capitalize on this growth as well. 

Keeping that in mind, today I am going to analyze and compare two crypto trading platform stocks: SoFi Technologies, Inc. (SOFI - Get Rating), and Coinbase Global, Inc. (COIN - Get Rating). 

SoFi Technologies, Inc.

Headquartered in San Francisco, California, SoFi Technologies, Inc. is a fintech company that offers a variety of financial services.  In addition to cryptocurrency trading, SoFi offers different types of loans, investments, and insurance services. 

Recent Developments 

On November 15th, the company announced a secondary offering of 50 million shares of its common stock. However, the shares were sold by existing shareholders, leaving the number of outstanding shares unchanged. For instance, SoftBank Group sold 22.5 million of SoFi stock at $21.60 a share on November 18th. Also, Social Capital cut its stake in the company by around 15%. As a result, the stock dipped from its November highs to as low as $15.19. 

Financial‌ ‌Overview‌ ‌&‌ ‌Analyst’s‌ ‌Estimates‌ ‌

The company’s total revenues for its third quarter of 2021 have risen 35.5% year-over-year to $272.01 million, beating Wall Street estimates by $16.38 million. SOFI’s Lending segment net revenue has been reported 30% higher YoY at $210.29 million, while its Technology Platform segment revenue increased 29% YoY to $50.23 million. Also, its Financial Services segment demonstrated triple-digit growth, with net revenue of $12.62 million. 

Additionally, SOFI disclosed a Non-GAAP Q3 EPS of ($0.05), topping analysts’ consensus by $0.09. The company also experienced a 96% member growth to 2.9 million. 

Finally, the company reported the fifth consecutive quarter of positive adjusted EBITDA of $10.26 million. 

For the next quarter, analysts project SOFI’s EPS to be ($0.08). In addition, analysts expect that the company’s fourth-quarter revenues should stand at $285.35 million. 

Coinbase Global, Inc. 

Founded in 2012, COIN is the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the U.S. The company offers financial infrastructure, technology, and other crypto-related services for the crypto economy. 

Recent Developments 

On November 30th, Coinbase announced its intentions to acquire an Israel-based cryptographic security company, known as Unbound Security, to enhance its security capabilities. Unbound Security develops a lot of advanced security options, including the emerging field of secure multi-party computation (MPC). This technology allows crypto assets to be stored, transferred, and deployed with a significantly higher level of protection. 

Financial‌ ‌Overview‌ ‌&‌ ‌Analyst’s‌ ‌Estimates‌ ‌

For its fiscal third quarter ended September 30th, 2021, COIN’s revenue increased 315.9% year-over-year to  $1.31 billion, however, the company missed Wall Street consensus by $270 million. Its GAAP EPS has been reported at $1.62, beating analysts’ expectations by $0.19. 

The lion’s share of COIN’s total revenues made up transaction revenue, which depends on crypto asset volatility and trading volume. As a result, increasing crypto asset volatility leads to higher retail trading volume. However, its monthly transacting users stood at 7.4 million, down 16% quarter-over-quarter. The company also experienced a lower trading volume in Q3, coming in at $327 billion, a 29% decrease on a quarter-over-quarter basis. 

Finally, the company’s Adjusted EBITDA came in 46% lower on a quarter-over-quarter basis at $618 million.

Analysts established a consensus estimate of $1.96 EPS for the fourth quarter. Also, analysts expect SOFI top line to be $1.88 billion in Q4.

Comparative Valuation 

In terms of TTM Price/Sales, COIN is currently trading at 6.30x, which is 12% higher than SOFI, whose multiple is currently standing at 5.62x. When it comes to the TTM Price/Book multiple, COIN’s P/B multiple of 10.49x is substantially higher than SOFI’s 2.98x. 

However, their P/S and P/B multiple trading well above the sector’s median threshold of 3.21x and 1.25x, respectively. 

Bullish options trade placed on SOFI stock

The options, which expire on April 14, 2022, saw increased call buying on Monday. The open interest for the $15.00 calls rose by 3,446 contracts to a total of 12,755 open contracts (source: barchart.com). A buyer of those calls would need the stock to rise to $18.65 by the expiration date, a gain of about 14% from SOFI stock’s current price.

The Bottom line 

I believe SOFI, at these levels, is a better long-term buy. The recent stock price decline in SOFI wasn’t caused by any company’s operational factors. In addition, SOFI has more diversified revenue streams, while COIN’s revenues highly depend on the BTC price. In terms of valuation, SOFI looks cheaper compared to COIN. Finally, a modest bullish options bet was recently made in SOFI stock, implying a bullish market sentiment from options trades.

Want More Great Investing Ideas?

3 Stocks to DOUBLE This Year


SOFI shares were trading at $16.50 per share on Tuesday afternoon, up $0.78 (+4.96%). Year-to-date, SOFI has gained 32.64%, versus a 26.20% rise in the benchmark S&P 500 index during the same period.


About the Author: Oleksandr Pylypenko


Oleksandr Pylypenko has more than 5 years of experience as an investment analyst and financial journalist. He has previously been a contributing writer for Seeking Alpha, Talks Market, and Market Realist. More...


More Resources for the Stocks in this Article

TickerPOWR RatingIndustry RankRank in Industry
SOFIGet RatingGet RatingGet Rating
COINGet RatingGet RatingGet Rating

Most Popular Stories on StockNews.com


Stock Market Update: It’s Complicated!

The S&P 500 (SPY) may have bounced 17% from recent lows, but the outlook for stocks from here is...in a word...COMPLICATED. Read on to get Steve Reitmeister full market outlook and trading plan for this complicated market environment.

Becoming More Bullish on Stocks, But...

Stocks are on a roll with the S&P 500 (SPY) up more than 10% from the recent lows. Before you start getting too giddy, you should read this updated market outlook and trading plan Steve Reitmeister.

Stock Market Held Hostage

Uncertainty is the term most often applied to this stock market. Uncertainty over tariffs. Uncertainty of whether the S&P 500 (SPY) will fall into bear territory. Uncertainty over what happens next. Steve Reitmeister dives into the uncertainty to make sense of the market in this week’s commentary...

Stock Market Standing on the 50 Yard Line

Steve Reitmeister contemplates where the stock market stands now and what happens next in trying to stay on the right side of the market action. One path points to bear and one to new highs for the S&P 500 (SPY). Which will it be?

Bear or Bull Market?

The S&P 500 is on the brink of bear market territory...but that outcome is not a given at this time. Steve Reitmeister shares insights gleaned from his 45 years of investing to shine a light on current conditions along with his top picks...

Read More Stories

More SoFi Technologies Inc. (SOFI) News View All

Event/Date Symbol News Detail Start Price End Price Change POWR Rating
Loading, please wait...
View All SOFI News