Coursera (NYSE:COUR) Hits New 12-Month Low Following Analyst Downgrade

Key Points

• Shares of Coursera hit a new 52-week low after Wall Street Zen downgraded the stock from buy to hold; the shares traded as low as $5.00 and last at $5.285 with elevated volume (~15.98M shares).
• Multiple analysts have cut price targets (including RBC, Telsey and KeyCorp), leaving a MarketBeat consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $9.58.
• Q1 results were mixed: revenue of $195.7M (+9.1% y/y) was roughly in line with estimates but EPS of $0.07 missed, and management's modest guidance plus worsening margins and free‑cash‑flow raised execution and margin concerns.

Shares of Coursera, Inc. (NYSE:COUR - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Saturday after Wall Street Zen downgraded the stock from a buy rating to a hold rating. The stock traded as low as $5.00 and last traded at $5.2850, with a volume of 15975919 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $5.97.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on COUR. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on Coursera from $8.00 to $7.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Telsey Advisory Group cut their target price on Coursera from $14.00 to $10.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $8.00 price target on shares of Coursera in a research note on Friday, February 6th. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $7.00 price target on shares of Coursera in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, KeyCorp dropped their price target on Coursera from $12.00 to $10.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $9.58.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Alan B. Cardenas sold 9,710 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.92, for a total value of $57,483.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 217,876 shares in the company, valued at $1,289,825.92. This represents a 4.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 16.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

More Coursera News

Here are the key news stories impacting Coursera this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Record learner growth and strong consumer momentum driven by AI content expansion — supports longer‑term TAM and monetization upside. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Needham reaffirmed a "buy" and $10 price target, signaling some analyst confidence in recovery potential. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Q1 results: revenue ~$195.7M (≈in line, +9.1% y/y) but EPS of $0.07 missed estimates — mixed fundamentals that leave room for debate on near‑term profit trajectory. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Guidance: FY revenue range $805M–$815M and Q2 revenue $196M–$200M were generally close to consensus but slightly toward the low side, limiting upside in the near term. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple price‑target cuts: JPMorgan trimmed its PT to $8 (still overweight) and RBC cut to $7 — these marks put downward pressure on sentiment despite some bullish ratings. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst critique and downgrade citing enterprise churn, shrinking adjusted‑EBITDA margins from increased product & sales investment, and deteriorating fundamentals — raises execution and margin risk. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Wider GAAP loss and a sharp (~88%) drop in free cash flow reported for the quarter, combined with elevated trading volume versus average, amplify near‑term selling pressure. Read More.

Institutional Trading of Coursera

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its position in shares of Coursera by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 70,852 shares of the company's stock worth $621,000 after purchasing an additional 1,027 shares in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Coursera by 9.2% during the 3rd quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 13,184 shares of the company's stock valued at $154,000 after purchasing an additional 1,112 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Coursera by 10.3% during the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 26,096 shares of the company's stock valued at $192,000 after purchasing an additional 2,439 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co. boosted its stake in Coursera by 19.0% during the 4th quarter. Diversified Trust Co. now owns 17,691 shares of the company's stock valued at $130,000 after purchasing an additional 2,824 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its stake in Coursera by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 104,795 shares of the company's stock valued at $698,000 after purchasing an additional 2,847 shares during the last quarter. 89.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Coursera Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $894.80 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -13.91 and a beta of 1.35. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $6.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $7.21.

Coursera (NYSE:COUR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The company reported $0.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.08 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $195.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $195.17 million. Coursera had a negative net margin of 8.23% and a negative return on equity of 5.41%. Coursera's revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.12 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Coursera, Inc. will post -0.13 earnings per share for the current year.

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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