Coursera, Inc. (NYSE:COUR) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts give Coursera a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating: Seven analysts rate the stock a buy and one a strong buy, versus two holds and two sells. The average 12-month price target is $8.50, above its reported $5.28 share price.
• Quarterly results exceeded expectations: Coursera reported $0.17 in EPS on $298.6 million of revenue, with revenue up 59.6% year over year. However, the company remains unprofitable, with a negative 15.39% net margin.
• Investors face both catalysts and risks: The company authorized a $500 million share-repurchase program, while management targets stronger margins and synergies from its Udemy combination. Concerns include weaker core enterprise revenue, integration and execution risks, and substantial recent insider selling.

Coursera, Inc. (NYSE:COUR - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twelve research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have assigned a hold recommendation, seven have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $8.50.

COUR has been the topic of several recent research reports. KeyCorp reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Coursera in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Zacks Research raised shares of Coursera from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. BMO Capital Markets restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Coursera in a report on Thursday. Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and issued a $10.00 price target on shares of Coursera in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Coursera from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday.

Coursera Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of COUR stock opened at $5.28 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $5.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $5.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $894.57 million, a P/E ratio of -7.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.24. Coursera has a fifty-two week low of $5.00 and a fifty-two week high of $12.93.

Coursera (NYSE:COUR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.17 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.10 by $0.07. Coursera had a negative net margin of 15.39% and a negative return on equity of 2.08%. The firm had revenue of $298.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $293.61 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.12 earnings per share. Coursera's revenue for the quarter was up 59.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Coursera will post 0.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Coursera announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Monday, May 18th that authorizes the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 55.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Alan B. Cardenas sold 9,139 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.52, for a total transaction of $50,447.28. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 255,934 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,412,755.68. The trade was a 3.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, major shareholder Insight Holdings Group, Llc sold 1,466,372 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.24, for a total value of $7,683,789.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 419,784 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,199,668.16. This trade represents a 77.74% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 2,009,139 shares of company stock worth $10,643,180 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 16.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Coursera during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Optiver Holding B.V. acquired a new position in Coursera in the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in Coursera by 63.2% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 5,555 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 2,152 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its position in Coursera by 224.1% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 4,939 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 3,415 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC purchased a new position in Coursera during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. 89.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Coursera News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Coursera this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Coursera reported second-quarter adjusted earnings of $0.17 per share, above the $0.11 consensus estimate, while revenue reached approximately $298.6 million and increased 59.6% year over year. The results also exceeded some revenue expectations. Coursera Tops Q2 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management expects roughly a 14% adjusted EBITDA margin in 2026 and at least $85 million in annualized run-rate synergies by year-end, supporting the potential for improved profitability following its Udemy combination. Coursera EBITDA Margin and Synergies
• Positive Sentiment: Coursera announced a $100 million investment in LearnVector for an approximately one-third stake, potentially expanding its artificial-intelligence and learning technology capabilities. Zacks also upgraded COUR to a Rank #1, or Strong Buy, citing improving earnings prospects. Coursera Invests in LearnVector
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts view the quarter as a defining test of Coursera’s growth strategy: strong reported growth and cost synergies must be sustained while the company integrates Udemy and expands its AI offerings. Coursera Faces a Defining Growth Test
• Negative Sentiment: The primary reason for the selloff was lower second-quarter core revenue and investor concern that enterprise customers are pulling back. This raised questions about the quality and durability of growth, even though headline revenue and EPS were strong. Coursera Slides on Lower Second-Quarter Core Revenue
• Negative Sentiment: Coursera shares fell sharply after the results, with bearish commentary highlighting enterprise customer weakness and uncertainty surrounding the post-Udemy outlook. The $100 million LearnVector investment may also increase near-term execution and capital-allocation risk. Coursera Plunges After Q2 Results

About Coursera

Coursera, Inc NYSE: COUR operates a leading online learning platform that delivers courses, specializations, professional certificates and fully accredited degree programs in collaboration with top universities and industry partners. Founded in 2012 by Stanford University professors Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller, Coursera's mission is to provide universal access to world-class education and bridge skill gaps in a rapidly evolving job market.

The platform features more than 6,000 offerings created by over 275 academic institutions and corporate entities, spanning fields such as data science, business, technology, health care and the arts.

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