Short Interest in Coursera, Inc. (NYSE:COUR) Drops By 25.2%

Coursera, Inc. (NYSE:COUR) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in May. As of May 31st, there was short interest totalling 4,520,000 shares, a decline of 25.2% from the May 15th total of 6,040,000 shares. Currently, 3.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 1,930,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.3 days.

Coursera Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of COUR opened at $8.27 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -19.22 and a beta of 1.38. Coursera has a 52-week low of $5.76 and a 52-week high of $11.74. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $8.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $8.09.

Coursera (NYSE:COUR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.08 by $0.04. Coursera had a negative net margin of 9.37% and a negative return on equity of 7.22%. The business had revenue of $179.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $175.60 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.07 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Coursera will post -0.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Coursera

In other news, Director Amanda Clark sold 9,334 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.48, for a total value of $79,152.32. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 85,573 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $725,659.04. This trade represents a 9.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Sabrina Simmons sold 9,335 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.48, for a total value of $79,160.80. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 50,215 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $425,823.20. The trade was a 15.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 24,770 shares of company stock valued at $211,087 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 16.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Coursera

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Inspire Investing LLC increased its position in Coursera by 8.9% during the first quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 51,382 shares of the company’s stock worth $342,000 after buying an additional 4,206 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers increased its holdings in shares of Coursera by 5.9% in the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 198,240 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,320,000 after acquiring an additional 11,041 shares during the period. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in Coursera in the 1st quarter valued at $250,000. Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new stake in Coursera during the 1st quarter worth $808,000. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new position in Coursera during the 1st quarter worth $273,000. 89.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on COUR shares. Bank of America reissued an “underperform” rating and issued a $7.00 price target on shares of Coursera in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $11.00 target price (up previously from $10.00) on shares of Coursera in a research note on Thursday, June 5th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $11.00 target price on shares of Coursera in a report on Friday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Coursera from $8.00 to $7.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $12.00 price target on shares of Coursera in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $9.40.

About Coursera

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.