Coursera, Inc. (NYSE:COUR) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Coursera, Inc. (NYSE:COUR) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the fifteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $9.1923.

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Coursera from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Coursera from $8.00 to $7.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Coursera from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “sell (e+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $10.00 price objective on shares of Coursera in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Coursera from $7.00 to $8.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th.

Coursera Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:COUR opened at $5.55 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $5.54 and its 200 day moving average is $5.99. Coursera has a 1 year low of $5.00 and a 1 year high of $13.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $940.64 million, a P/E ratio of -14.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.23.

Coursera (NYSE:COUR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The company reported $0.07 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.08 by ($0.01). Coursera had a negative return on equity of 5.41% and a negative net margin of 8.23%.The business had revenue of $195.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $195.17 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.12 EPS. Coursera’s revenue was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Coursera will post 0.07 EPS for the current year.

Coursera announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Monday, May 18th that permits the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 55.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Coursera

In related news, major shareholder Insight Holdings Group, Llc sold 1,466,372 shares of Coursera stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.24, for a total transaction of $7,683,789.28. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 419,784 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,199,668.16. The trade was a 77.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Alan B. Cardenas sold 9,139 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.52, for a total value of $50,447.28. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 255,934 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,412,755.68. This represents a 3.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 2,009,139 shares of company stock worth $10,643,180 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 16.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Coursera

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Coursera in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Quarry LP lifted its position in Coursera by 619.9% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 4,024 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 3,465 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its holdings in Coursera by 224.1% in the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 4,939 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 3,415 shares during the last quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC purchased a new stake in Coursera in the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Optiver Holding B.V. acquired a new stake in Coursera during the 1st quarter worth about $31,000. 89.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.