Coursera Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:COUR)

Key Points

• Coursera, Inc. experienced a significant increase in options trading, with 19,884 call options purchased, marking a 1,341% increase from the usual volume.
• Analyst ratings have varied, with some firms raising price targets while others downrated the stock, resulting in a consensus price target of $10.65 and an average rating of "Hold."
• Shares of Coursera rose by 34.2%, reaching $12.19, alongside a substantial increase in trading volume with over 12 million shares exchanged.
• Insider activity noted that significant shares were sold recently, leading to a 16.80% ownership by insiders in the company.

Coursera, Inc. (NYSE:COUR - Get Free Report) saw some unusual options trading on Friday. Stock investors bought 19,884 call options on the company. This is an increase of 1,341% compared to the typical volume of 1,380 call options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Coursera from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on Coursera from $10.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday. Bank of America raised Coursera from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $7.00 to $12.00 in a research note on Friday. KeyCorp lifted their price target on Coursera from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Coursera from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Coursera presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $10.65.

Coursera Stock Up 34.2%

Shares of NYSE:COUR traded up $3.11 on Friday, reaching $12.19. 12,417,398 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,907,145. The business's 50-day moving average is $8.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $8.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -28.34 and a beta of 1.36. Coursera has a fifty-two week low of $5.76 and a fifty-two week high of $12.40.

Coursera (NYSE:COUR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $0.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.09 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $187.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $180.52 million. Coursera had a negative net margin of 9.37% and a negative return on equity of 7.22%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.09 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Coursera will post -0.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Coursera

In other Coursera news, SVP Alan B. Cardenas sold 6,101 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.65, for a total value of $52,773.65. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 293,368 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 available through this link. Also, Director Sabrina Simmons sold 9,335 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.48, for a total value of $79,160.80. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 50,215 shares of the company's stock, valued at $425,823.20. This represents a 15.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 24,770 shares of company stock valued at $211,087. 16.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Coursera

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS grew its stake in shares of Coursera by 22.9% in the second quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS now owns 30,100 shares of the company's stock worth $264,000 after acquiring an additional 5,600 shares during the last quarter. 111 Capital grew its stake in shares of Coursera by 152.8% in the second quarter. 111 Capital now owns 29,643 shares of the company's stock worth $260,000 after acquiring an additional 17,915 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. acquired a new stake in shares of Coursera in the second quarter worth $239,000. GC Wealth Management RIA LLC acquired a new stake in Coursera during the second quarter worth $300,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Coursera by 157.0% during the second quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 35,082 shares of the company's stock worth $301,000 after buying an additional 21,433 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.55% of the company's stock.

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.

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