Coursera (NYSE:COUR) Sees Strong Trading Volume on Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• Coursera's shares experienced a significant increase in trading volume, with a 146% rise following an upgrade from Wall Street Zen from a hold rating to a buy rating.
• Multiple analysts have recently increased their price targets for Coursera, with Cantor Fitzgerald raising their target from $10.00 to $13.00, reflecting growing investor confidence.
• Insider trading reports indicate that significant shares of Coursera's stock have been sold by executives, with corporate insiders owning approximately 16.80% of the company’s stock.

Coursera, Inc. (NYSE:COUR - Get Free Report) shares saw an uptick in trading volume on Monday after Wall Street Zen upgraded the stock from a hold rating to a buy rating. 4,983,667 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 146% from the previous session's volume of 2,026,583 shares.The stock last traded at $12.58 and had previously closed at $12.37.

COUR has been the topic of several other reports. KeyCorp reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $12.00 price target (up from $11.00) on shares of Coursera in a research note on Friday. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $12.00 price objective on shares of Coursera in a research report on Monday, July 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Coursera from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Coursera from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of Coursera from $9.00 to $11.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Coursera has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $11.25.

Insider Buying and Selling at Coursera

In related news, SVP Alan B. Cardenas sold 6,101 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.65, for a total value of $52,773.65. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 293,368 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,537,633.20. This trade represents a 2.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Amanda Clark sold 9,334 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.48, for a total transaction of $79,152.32. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 85,573 shares in the company, valued at approximately $725,659.04. The trade was a 9.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 24,770 shares of company stock worth $211,087. Corporate insiders own 16.80% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Coursera

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. State of Wyoming boosted its holdings in shares of Coursera by 959.1% during the fourth quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 3,887 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 3,520 shares during the period. Quarry LP lifted its holdings in Coursera by 1,848.6% in the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 4,131 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 3,919 shares during the period. Pale Fire Capital SE acquired a new stake in Coursera in the first quarter worth about $67,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Coursera in the fourth quarter worth about $86,000. Finally, Xponance Inc. bought a new stake in Coursera in the first quarter worth about $69,000. Institutional investors own 89.55% of the company's stock.

Coursera Stock Down 2.8%

The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $8.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $8.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.96 billion, a P/E ratio of -36.97 and a beta of 1.36.

Coursera (NYSE:COUR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $0.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.09 by $0.03. Coursera had a negative return on equity of 5.22% and a negative net margin of 7.05%. The firm had revenue of $187.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $180.52 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.09 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Coursera, Inc. will post -0.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Coursera Company Profile

Coursera, Inc operates an online educational content platform in the United States, Europe, Africa, the Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and internationally. It operates in three segments: Consumer, Enterprise, and Degrees. The company offers guided projects, courses, and specializations, as well as online degrees; and certificates for entry-level professional, non-entry level professional, university, and MasterTrack.