Coursera Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:COUR)

Coursera, Inc. (NYSE:COUR) saw unusually large options trading activity on Friday. Stock traders bought 28,097 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 1,592% compared to the average daily volume of 1,661 call options.

Coursera Price Performance

COUR stock opened at $5.52 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $933.74 million, a P/E ratio of -17.79 and a beta of 1.35. Coursera has a 12 month low of $5.47 and a 12 month high of $13.56. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $6.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $7.93.

Coursera (NYSE:COUR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $0.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.06. Coursera had a negative net margin of 6.73% and a negative return on equity of 5.17%. The firm had revenue of $196.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $191.83 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.08 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Coursera will post -0.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on COUR. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $10.00 price objective on shares of Coursera in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $14.00 target price on shares of Coursera in a research note on Friday, February 6th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $7.00 price target on shares of Coursera in a research report on Friday, February 6th. KeyCorp dropped their price target on Coursera from $12.00 to $10.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $8.00 price objective on shares of Coursera in a report on Friday, February 6th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $10.62.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Coursera news, SVP Alan B. Cardenas sold 9,710 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.92, for a total transaction of $57,483.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 217,876 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,289,825.92. This represents a 4.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 16.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Coursera

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Coursera by 2.6% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,921,600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $163,022,000 after acquiring an additional 357,264 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Coursera during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $15,435,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC purchased a new position in shares of Coursera during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $4,617,000. Quantedge Capital Pte Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Coursera during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,652,000. Finally, Cannell & Spears LLC acquired a new position in shares of Coursera in the 3rd quarter valued at $6,576,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.55% of the company’s stock.

Coursera Company Profile

Coursera, Inc (NYSE:COUR) operates a leading online learning platform that delivers courses, specializations, professional certificates and fully accredited degree programs in collaboration with top universities and industry partners. Founded in 2012 by Stanford University professors Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller, Coursera’s mission is to provide universal access to world-class education and bridge skill gaps in a rapidly evolving job market.

The platform features more than 6,000 offerings created by over 275 academic institutions and corporate entities, spanning fields such as data science, business, technology, health care and the arts.