Coursera (NYSE:COUR) Shares Gap Up on Insider Buying Activity

Key Points

• Insider buying drove Coursera shares higher: Major shareholder Pale Fire Capital acquired 2.33 million shares across two transactions for approximately $11.35 million, increasing its position by 8.63% overall. The stock opened at $4.96, up from a $4.67 prior close.
• Analyst sentiment remains moderately positive: Coursera has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating from analysts, with an average price target of $8.55, despite some recent downgrades and target-price reductions.
• Recent operating results exceeded estimates: Coursera reported quarterly EPS of $0.17 versus the $0.10 consensus and revenue of $298.6 million, up 59.6% year over year, though the company remains unprofitable with a negative 15.39% net margin.

Shares of Coursera, Inc. (NYSE:COUR - Get Free Report) gapped up prior to trading on Wednesday following insider buying activity. The stock had previously closed at $4.67, but opened at $4.96. Coursera shares last traded at $4.9530, with a volume of 1,266,172 shares trading hands.

Specifically, major shareholder Pale Fire Capital Se acquired 1,000,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 29th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $4.61 per share, with a total value of $4,610,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 28,806,415 shares of the company's stock, valued at $132,797,573.15. The trade was a 3.60% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder Pale Fire Capital Se bought 1,332,742 shares of Coursera stock in a transaction on Friday, September 25th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $5.06 per share, with a total value of $6,743,674.52. Following the acquisition, the insider owned 27,806,415 shares in the company, valued at approximately $140,700,459.90. This represents a 5.03% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on COUR. Weiss Ratings downgraded Coursera from a "sell (d-)" rating to a "sell (e+)" rating in a report on Monday, September 14th. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Coursera from $8.00 to $7.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $7.00 price target on shares of Coursera in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Coursera in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Coursera from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, August 24th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $8.55.

Coursera Price Performance

The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $5.62 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $5.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.32 billion, a P/E ratio of -7.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 1.26.

Coursera (NYSE:COUR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.17 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.10 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $298.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $293.61 million. Coursera had a negative net margin of 15.39% and a negative return on equity of 1.72%. The company's revenue was up 59.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.12 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Coursera, Inc. will post 0.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Coursera

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Optiver Holding B.V. bought a new position in shares of Coursera in the first quarter worth about $31,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in Coursera by 63.2% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 5,555 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 2,152 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in Coursera by 299.7% in the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 5,912 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 4,433 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP bought a new position in Coursera in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. bought a new position in Coursera in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $57,000. 89.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Coursera

Coursera, Inc is an online learning platform that provides access to courses, professional certificates, guided projects, and degree programs. The company works with universities, colleges, and industry organizations to offer learning content in areas such as business, technology, data science, health, and the humanities.

Coursera serves individual learners as well as businesses, academic institutions, and government organizations. Its offerings include subscription-based course access, career-oriented professional credentials, online bachelor's and master's degree programs, and workforce development solutions designed to help organizations train employees and other learners.

Coursera was founded in 2012 by Stanford University professors Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller and is headquartered in Mountain View, California.

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