Coursera Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:COUR)

Coursera, Inc. (NYSE:COUR) saw unusually large options trading on Friday. Investors purchased 5,405 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 247% compared to the average volume of 1,557 call options.

Coursera Stock Down 25.1%

NYSE COUR opened at $3.49 on Friday. Coursera has a 52 week low of $3.45 and a 52 week high of $8.89. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $5.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $5.69. The firm has a market cap of $922.76 million, a PE ratio of -4.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.24.

Coursera (NYSE:COUR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $376.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $368.52 million. Coursera had a negative net margin of 14.35% and a positive return on equity of 3.47%. Coursera’s revenue was up 94.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.10 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Coursera will post 0.20 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on COUR. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of Coursera from $8.00 to $6.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Coursera from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “sell (e+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price objective on shares of Coursera from $10.00 to $6.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Zacks Research lowered shares of Coursera from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, August 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on shares of Coursera from $6.50 to $5.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Coursera has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $6.36.

More Coursera News

Here are the key news stories impacting Coursera this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Coursera reported third-quarter revenue of approximately $377 million and adjusted earnings of $0.21 per share, exceeding consensus estimates. Revenue increased 94% year over year, while earnings more than doubled from $0.10 per share in the prior-year quarter. Coursera Q3 Earnings and Revenues Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management expects more than $150 million in gross cost savings by year-end as integration efforts progress, supporting the potential for margin expansion and operating efficiencies. Coursera Q4 Revenue and Cost Savings Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity saw traders purchase 5,405 call options, roughly 247% above average call volume, indicating heightened speculative interest and potential bullish positioning.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Coursera news, SVP Alan B. Cardenas sold 9,139 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.71, for a total value of $52,183.69. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 236,237 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,348,913.27. This represents a 3.72% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Pale Fire Capital Se purchased 1,332,742 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 25th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $5.06 per share, for a total transaction of $6,743,674.52. Following the transaction, the insider directly 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. 16.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Coursera by 440.6% in the third quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 28,220 shares of the company’s stock worth $140,000 after buying an additional 23,000 shares during the last quarter. Total Clarity Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Coursera during the third quarter worth about $178,000. Inspire Investing LLC grew its holdings in Coursera by 5.1% during the third quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 126,131 shares of the company’s stock worth $626,000 after acquiring an additional 6,099 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. raised its position in Coursera by 28.4% during the third quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 15,532 shares of the company’s stock valued at $77,000 after acquiring an additional 3,435 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC purchased a new stake in Coursera in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $551,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.55% of the company’s stock.

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 partners to offer content in areas such as business, technology, data science, computer science, and personal development.

Coursera serves individual learners, businesses, governments, and academic institutions in countries around the world. Its enterprise and government offerings support employee training, workforce development, and large-scale education initiatives, while its consumer platform allows learners to enroll in individual courses or broader credential and degree programs.

Coursera was founded in 2012 by computer-science professors Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller.