Coursera (NYSE:COUR) Earns Buy Rating from Needham & Company LLC

Key Points

• Needham & Company reaffirmed a Buy rating on Coursera with a $10 price target, implying roughly a 67% upside from the current share price.
• Coursera reported Q1 revenue of $195.7M (+9.1% YoY) but missed EPS ($0.07 vs. $0.08), recorded wider GAAP losses and an ~88% drop in free cash flow, and gave slightly soft Q2/FY revenue guidance.
• Analyst coverage is mixed—8 Buys, 5 Holds and 2 Sells—with a MarketBeat consensus of Hold and a $10.31 consensus target; the stock trades around $5.98 (market cap ~$1.01B) near its 52‑week low.

Coursera (NYSE:COUR - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy" rating reaffirmed by stock analysts at Needham & Company LLC in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $10.00 target price on the stock. Needham & Company LLC's target price would suggest a potential upside of 67.36% from the stock's current price.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on COUR. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of Coursera from $9.00 to $6.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a report on Saturday, February 7th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Coursera from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 11th. Telsey Advisory Group reduced their price target on shares of Coursera from $14.00 to $10.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $7.00 price target on shares of Coursera in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $8.00 target price on shares of Coursera in a report on Friday, February 6th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $10.31.

Coursera Stock Performance

NYSE:COUR opened at $5.98 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $6.04 and a two-hundred day moving average of $7.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.01 billion, a PE ratio of -19.27 and a beta of 1.35. Coursera has a fifty-two week low of $5.22 and a fifty-two week high of $13.56.

Coursera (NYSE:COUR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The company reported $0.07 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.08 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $195.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $195.17 million. Coursera had a negative net margin of 6.73% and a negative return on equity of 5.17%. Coursera's quarterly revenue was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.12 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Coursera will post -0.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Alan B. Cardenas sold 9,710 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.92, for a total transaction of $57,483.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 217,876 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,289,825.92. This trade represents a 4.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 16.80% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Coursera

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in Coursera by 38.8% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 55,891 shares of the company's stock valued at $372,000 after buying an additional 15,610 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Coursera by 36.8% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 581,879 shares of the company's stock worth $3,875,000 after purchasing an additional 156,566 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Coursera by 2.8% during the 1st 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. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Coursera in the 1st quarter worth about $273,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Coursera by 29.0% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 277,568 shares of the company's stock worth $2,431,000 after buying an additional 62,371 shares in the last quarter. 89.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Coursera News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Coursera this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Record learner and consumer growth — Coursera reported its largest-ever registered learner growth and continued strength in the consumer/AI-driven content segment, supporting top-line expansion (revenue up ~9% YoY). Coursera Q1 revenue jumps with record learner growth
• Positive Sentiment: New product offerings broaden consumer appeal — Coursera launched beginner specializations (NumPy/Pandas) and is leaning into AI-focused content, which may help monetization over time. Coursera launches NumPy and Pandas specialization for beginners
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue roughly in line with expectations — Q1 revenue came in near consensus (~$195.7M) even as some metrics diverged; management provided FY and Q2 revenue ranges that are close to, but slightly below, street estimates. Coursera’s NYSE: COUR Q1 CY2026 Earnings Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings disclosure and call transcript available — investors can review the call transcript and company release for management commentary on enterprise dynamics and investment cadence. Coursera Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Enterprise churn and margin decay raised red flags — Analysts flagged weaker enterprise segment performance and shrinking adjusted EBITDA margins driven by increased product and sales investment, prompting at least one downgrade. Coursera: Enterprise Churn And Margin Decay Are Concerning (Downgrade)
• Negative Sentiment: EPS miss and weaker cash flow — Coursera reported $0.07 EPS (miss vs. consensus) and wider GAAP losses with an ~88% drop in free cash flow, which pressures near-term profitability and valuation. Coursera (COUR) Misses Q1 Earnings Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance slightly soft for Q2/FY — Management issued revenue ranges a touch below consensus for Q2 and FY 2026, leaving limited near-term upside and increasing sensitivity to enterprise recovery. Coursera Reports First Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst sell-side reaction — Coverage notes (downgrades/negative write-ups) highlight operating risk and margin pressure, which can amplify near-term share weakness. Coursera shares weighed down by wider GAAP loss, 88% drop in free cash flow

Coursera Company Profile

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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