Coursera (NYSE:COUR) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume Following Analyst Upgrade

Coursera, Inc. (NYSE:COUR) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Thursday after JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded the stock from a neutral rating to an overweight rating. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now has a $12.00 price target on the stock. Approximately 3,357,714 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 37% from the previous session’s volume of 2,442,343 shares.The stock last traded at $7.8860 and had previously closed at $7.84.

Several other analysts also recently commented on the stock. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Coursera from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $14.00 price objective on shares of Coursera in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $14.00 target price on shares of Coursera in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Coursera in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Coursera in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Coursera presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $12.45.

Insider Transactions at Coursera

In other news, CAO Michele M. Meyers sold 3,500 shares of Coursera stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.27, for a total value of $35,945.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 234,295 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,406,209.65. The trade was a 1.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Alan B. Cardenas sold 8,078 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.17, for a total value of $65,997.26. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 237,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,943,054.76. The trade was a 3.28% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 16.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Coursera

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its position in Coursera by 1.5% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 70,852 shares of the company’s stock worth $621,000 after acquiring an additional 1,027 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its holdings in Coursera by 5.6% in the 2nd quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 20,782 shares of the company’s stock valued at $182,000 after purchasing an additional 1,110 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC grew its position in Coursera by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 13,184 shares of the company’s stock worth $154,000 after purchasing an additional 1,112 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Coursera by 102.9% during the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,652 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,852 shares during the period. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in shares of Coursera by 2.8% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 104,795 shares of the company’s stock valued at $698,000 after buying an additional 2,847 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.55% of the company’s stock.

Coursera Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $1.36 billion, a P/E ratio of -27.90 and a beta of 1.37. The company’s 50 day moving average is $8.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $9.75.

Coursera (NYSE:COUR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The company reported $0.10 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.09 by $0.01. Coursera had a negative return on equity of 4.75% and a negative net margin of 6.19%.The firm had revenue of $194.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $190.33 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.10 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Coursera, Inc. will post -0.28 EPS for the current year.

Coursera Company Profile

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.