Groupon (NASDAQ:GRPN) Trading Up 7% - Here's What Happened

Groupon, Inc. (NASDAQ:GRPN - Get Free Report)'s share price rose 7% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $31.35 and last traded at $31.16. Approximately 691,070 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 51% from the average daily volume of 1,397,724 shares. The stock had previously closed at $29.13.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on GRPN. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Groupon from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Ascendiant Capital Markets upped their price target on Groupon from $14.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Northland Securities raised their price target on Groupon from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Groupon from $9.00 to $15.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Roth Capital reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Groupon in a research note on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $23.25.

Groupon Trading Up 3.0%

The company's 50 day simple moving average is $22.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $15.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.66, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The firm has a market cap of $1.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 64.59 and a beta of 1.04.

Groupon (NASDAQ:GRPN - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The coupon company reported $0.18 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.20) by $0.38. The firm had revenue of $117.19 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $115.51 million. Groupon had a return on equity of 91.94% and a net margin of 3.87%. As a group, research analysts expect that Groupon, Inc. will post -0.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Groupon

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Continental General Insurance Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Groupon in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $42,847,000. Tyro Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Groupon during the 4th quarter worth $20,964,000. Prentice Capital Management LP grew its stake in shares of Groupon by 291.3% during the fourth quarter. Prentice Capital Management LP now owns 781,694 shares of the coupon company's stock worth $9,498,000 after purchasing an additional 581,943 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in Groupon by 351.8% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 261,447 shares of the coupon company's stock valued at $4,907,000 after buying an additional 203,585 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Prospect Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Groupon in the fourth quarter valued at $2,935,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.05% of the company's stock.

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.