2,282,732 Shares in Groupon, Inc. $GRPN Acquired by Continental General Insurance Co.

Key Points

• Continental General Insurance Co. purchased 2,282,732 shares of Groupon, Inc. (NASDAQ: GRPN), valued at approximately $42.8 million, making it the company's third-largest holding.
• Several institutional investors have increased their stakes in Groupon recently, with AlphaQuest LLC raising its position by 383.5% in the first quarter.
• Analysts have varied opinions on Groupon's stock, with price targets ranging from $9.00 to $44.00, and a current consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."

Continental General Insurance Co. bought a new position in shares of Groupon, Inc. (NASDAQ:GRPN - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 2,282,732 shares of the coupon company's stock, valued at approximately $42,847,000. Groupon comprises approximately 14.8% of Continental General Insurance Co.'s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Continental General Insurance Co. owned 5.73% of Groupon as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its position in shares of Groupon by 383.5% during the first quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 3,718 shares of the coupon company's stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 2,949 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Groupon by 115.6% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,559 shares of the coupon company's stock valued at $128,000 after buying an additional 78,423 shares in the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its stake in Groupon by 36.4% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 12,519 shares of the coupon company's stock valued at $152,000 after buying an additional 3,342 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in Groupon by 11.8% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 14,652 shares of the coupon company's stock worth $179,000 after buying an additional 1,552 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Trust Investment Advisors acquired a new position in shares of Groupon in the 1st quarter worth approximately $218,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.05% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Roth Mkm upped their price target on Groupon from $21.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Groupon in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. They set a "mixed" rating for the company. Northland Securities raised their price target on shares of Groupon from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Groupon from $9.00 to $15.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Groupon from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $29.80.

Groupon Stock Up 0.3%

GRPN stock opened at $26.25 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $1.06 billion, a PE ratio of -109.37 and a beta of 1.15. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $32.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $24.34. Groupon, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $7.75 and a fifty-two week high of $43.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.16.

Groupon (NASDAQ:GRPN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The coupon company reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.02) by $0.48. Groupon had a negative net margin of 1.89% and a negative return on equity of 19.61%. The firm had revenue of $125.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $122.46 million. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Groupon, Inc. will post -0.31 EPS for the current year.

Groupon Company Profile

Groupon, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates a marketplace that connects consumers to merchants. It operates in two segments, North America and International. The company sells goods or services on behalf of third-party merchants. It serves customers through its mobile applications and websites.

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