Coursera (NYSE:COUR) Cut to “Hold” at Zacks Research

Zacks Research downgraded shares of Coursera (NYSE:COUR) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

COUR has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Bank of America upgraded Coursera from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their target price for the company from $7.00 to $12.00 in a report on Friday, July 25th. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $12.00 price objective (up from $11.00) on shares of Coursera in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Coursera from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Coursera from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Coursera from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $11.40.

Coursera Stock Down 1.2%

Coursera stock opened at $11.3450 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.83 billion, a PE ratio of -34.38 and a beta of 1.40. Coursera has a 52 week low of $5.76 and a 52 week high of $13.56. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $9.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $8.56.

Coursera (NYSE:COUR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $0.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.09 by $0.03. Coursera had a negative net margin of 7.05% and a negative return on equity of 5.16%. The company had revenue of $187.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $180.52 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.09 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Coursera has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Coursera will post -0.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Kenneth R. Hahn sold 75,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.87, for a total value of $890,250.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 1,075,853 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,770,375.11. This trade represents a 6.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Michele M. Meyers sold 12,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.60, for a total transaction of $145,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 253,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,938,871.60. The trade was a 4.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 115,000 shares of company stock worth $1,363,100. Insiders own 16.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in COUR. Quarry LP increased its stake in Coursera by 1,848.6% during the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 4,131 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 3,919 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Coursera by 102.9% during the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,652 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,852 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming increased its position in Coursera by 959.1% during the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 3,887 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 3,520 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its holdings in Coursera by 163.7% in the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 7,330 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after buying an additional 4,550 shares during the period. Finally, Pale Fire Capital SE acquired a new position in Coursera during the first quarter valued at approximately $67,000. 89.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Coursera Company Profile

Coursera, Inc operates an online educational content platform in the United States, Europe, Africa, the Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and internationally. It operates in three segments: Consumer, Enterprise, and Degrees. The company offers guided projects, courses, and specializations, as well as online degrees; and certificates for entry-level professional, non-entry level professional, university, and MasterTrack.