Groupon Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:GRPN)

Groupon, Inc. (NASDAQ:GRPN) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock traders acquired 10,209 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 32% compared to the average volume of 7,740 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Ascendiant Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Groupon from $14.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Groupon from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $17.75.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Groupon

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GRPN. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of Groupon during the 3rd quarter worth about $814,000. FMR LLC increased its position in Groupon by 112.5% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,456 shares of the coupon company’s stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 2,888 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Groupon by 129.1% during the third quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 13,340 shares of the coupon company’s stock worth $130,000 after buying an additional 7,516 shares during the last quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Groupon by 28.7% in the third quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. now owns 75,051 shares of the coupon company’s stock valued at $734,000 after acquiring an additional 16,734 shares during the period. Finally, Centiva Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Groupon in the third quarter worth $442,000. 90.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Groupon Stock Performance

NASDAQ:GRPN opened at $18.83 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $749.64 million, a PE ratio of 36.92 and a beta of 1.41. Groupon has a 1 year low of $7.75 and a 1 year high of $18.97. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.66. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $12.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $11.37.

About Groupon

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.