Coursera, Inc. (NYSE:COUR) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is mixed on Coursera, with an average rating of "Hold" from 15 analysts and a consensus 12-month target price of $9.50. The breakdown includes two sells, five holds, and eight buys.
• Recent results were mixed but revenue grew: Coursera reported quarterly EPS of $0.07, missing estimates by $0.01, while revenue came in at $195.7 million, slightly above expectations and up 9.1% year over year.
• The company approved a large buyback of up to $500 million, which could cover as much as 55.9% of outstanding shares, even as insiders recently sold stock and institutional ownership remains high at 89.55%.

Coursera, Inc. (NYSE:COUR - Get Free Report) has earned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the fifteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $9.50.

COUR has been the topic of several recent research reports. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $10.00 target price on shares of Coursera in a report on Friday, April 24th. Telsey Advisory Group lowered their target price on shares of Coursera from $14.00 to $10.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Coursera from $8.00 to $7.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Coursera from $10.00 to $8.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Coursera from a "sell (d-)" rating to a "sell (e+)" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st.

Coursera Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of COUR opened at $5.35 on Friday. Coursera has a 12 month low of $5.00 and a 12 month high of $13.56. The firm's 50 day moving average is $5.69 and its 200-day moving average is $6.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $905.92 million, a PE ratio of -14.08 and a beta of 1.25.

Coursera (NYSE:COUR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The company reported $0.07 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.08 by ($0.01). Coursera had a negative return on equity of 5.41% and a negative net margin of 8.23%.The business had revenue of $195.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $195.17 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.12 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Coursera will post -0.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Coursera declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Monday, May 18th that permits the company to repurchase $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 55.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Alan B. Cardenas sold 9,139 shares of Coursera stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.52, for a total value of $50,447.28. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 255,934 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,412,755.68. This trade represents a 3.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, major shareholder Insight Holdings Group, Llc sold 1,466,372 shares of Coursera stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.24, for a total transaction of $7,683,789.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 419,784 shares in the company, valued at $2,199,668.16. This trade represents a 77.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 2,009,139 shares of company stock worth $10,643,180 over the last three months. 16.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in Coursera by 1.5% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 70,852 shares of the company's stock valued at $621,000 after acquiring an additional 1,027 shares during the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. increased its stake in Coursera by 5.1% in the first quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 50,568 shares of the company's stock valued at $294,000 after acquiring an additional 2,435 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Coursera by 10.3% during the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 26,096 shares of the company's stock worth $192,000 after buying an additional 2,439 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co. grew its stake in shares of Coursera by 19.0% during the fourth quarter. Diversified Trust Co. now owns 17,691 shares of the company's stock worth $130,000 after buying an additional 2,824 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Coursera by 2.8% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 104,795 shares of the company's stock worth $698,000 after buying an additional 2,847 shares during the last quarter. 89.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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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