Coursera Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:COUR)

Coursera, Inc. (NYSE:COUR) saw unusually large options trading on Friday. Stock investors purchased 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 Trading Down 3.5%

Shares of COUR traded down $0.21 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $5.64. 1,966,718 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,950,089. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $6.11 and its 200 day moving average price is $8.00. The firm has a market cap of $954.08 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -18.21 and a beta of 1.35. Coursera has a 12-month low of $5.47 and a 12-month high of $13.56.

Coursera (NYSE:COUR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $0.06 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 company had revenue of $196.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $191.83 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.08 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Coursera will post -0.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Coursera news, SVP Alan B. Cardenas sold 9,710 shares of Coursera stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 217,876 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,289,825.92. The trade was a 4.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 16.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Coursera

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of COUR. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in Coursera during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Quarry LP increased its holdings in shares of Coursera by 619.9% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 4,024 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 3,465 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its position in shares of Coursera by 224.1% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 4,939 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 3,415 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC bought a new position in shares of Coursera in the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Coursera by 163.7% during the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 7,330 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 4,550 shares during the last quarter. 89.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Coursera from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $12.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of Coursera from $11.00 to $8.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 6th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Coursera from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $14.00 target price on shares of Coursera in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, KeyCorp cut their target price on Coursera from $12.00 to $10.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $10.62.

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.