Groupon Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NASDAQ:GRPN)

Key Points

• Traders bought an unusually large number of bullish contracts—12,287 call options (+291% vs. average)—as GRPN surged about 19.4% intraday to $18.46 on heavy volume, suggesting short‑term bullish/speculative interest.
• Underlying fundamentals remain weak: Groupon reported a Q1 EPS of -$0.32 (miss), negative margins and cash flow pressures, and faces lowered analyst sentiment including Goldman Sachs cutting its price target to $10 with a "sell" rating.

Groupon, Inc. (NASDAQ:GRPN - Get Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Friday. Stock traders bought 12,287 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 291% compared to the typical volume of 3,145 call options.

Groupon Trading Up 19.4%

GRPN stock traded up $3.00 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $18.46. The company had a trading volume of 3,090,617 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,515,183. Groupon has a 52 week low of $9.17 and a 52 week high of $43.08. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $12.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $15.22. The stock has a market cap of $716.25 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.70 and a beta of 0.11.

Groupon (NASDAQ:GRPN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The coupon company reported ($0.32) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by ($0.30). Groupon had a negative net margin of 16.76% and a negative return on equity of 717.37%. The company had revenue of $117.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $117.65 million. Analysts predict that Groupon will post 0.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of Groupon from $17.00 to $10.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $33.67.

Institutional Trading of Groupon

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GRPN. AQR Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Groupon in the first quarter valued at approximately $224,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in Groupon by 31.1% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 44,606 shares of the coupon company's stock valued at $837,000 after purchasing an additional 10,588 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its position in Groupon by 1,098.1% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 26,658 shares of the coupon company's stock valued at $892,000 after purchasing an additional 24,433 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position in Groupon by 9.6% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 36,632 shares of the coupon company's stock valued at $1,225,000 after purchasing an additional 3,219 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in shares of Groupon by 47.6% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 47,073 shares of the coupon company's stock valued at $1,575,000 after buying an additional 15,177 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.05% of the company's stock.

Groupon News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Groupon this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Unusual bullish options flow — traders bought ~12,287 call contracts on Friday (≈+291% vs. average), signaling short‑term bullish bets that can amplify upside moves or indicate takeover/strategic speculation.
• Positive Sentiment: International revenue strength — Groupon reported International Local revenue up ~10% (19% excluding Giftcloud), suggesting pockets of growth outside North America that could support future topline improvement. Groupon Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Guidance updated — FY revenue range set at $513M–$523M and Q2 revenue guided to $126M–$128M, broadly near Street estimates but slightly below consensus on the Q2 midpoint; guidance reduces visibility but is not a large beat or miss.
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 earnings and billings miss — Reported EPS of -$0.32 missed estimates (around -$0.02 to -$0.03) and revenue was essentially flat at $117.2M, missing expectations. The headline miss is the primary near‑term negative catalyst. Groupon Q1 Earnings Lag Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Weak profitability and balance‑sheet trends — Q1 showed an operating loss, a larger net loss versus year‑ago, cash from operations negative (~$10M), and total liabilities up ~17%, highlighting leverage and near‑term profitability pressure. Quiver: Stock Falls on Q1 Earnings

Groupon Company Profile

Groupon, Inc operates an online marketplace that connects subscribers with local merchants offering discounted goods, services and experiences. Through its website and mobile applications, Groupon provides time-limited deals across categories such as restaurants, travel, beauty and wellness, home services, and consumer products. Merchants partner with Groupon to attract new customers and drive foot traffic, leveraging the platform's targeted marketing tools and large subscriber base to promote special offers and vouchers.

Founded in Chicago in 2008 by Andrew Mason, Eric Lefkofsky and Brad Keywell, Groupon pioneered the daily-deals model, quickly growing its user community and merchant network.

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