Coursera (NYSE:COUR) Lowered to “Hold” Rating by Zacks Research

Zacks Research lowered shares of Coursera (NYSE:COUR) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Coursera in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $10.00 price objective on shares of Coursera in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Coursera from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “sell (e+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $7.00 target price on shares of Coursera in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on Coursera from $8.00 to $7.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Coursera has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $8.55.

Coursera Stock Up 2.7%

Shares of Coursera stock opened at $6.18 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $1.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.23, a P/E/G ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.24. Coursera has a twelve month low of $5.00 and a twelve month high of $12.32. The company’s fifty day moving average is $5.69 and its 200 day moving average is $5.78.

Coursera (NYSE:COUR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.10 by $0.07. Coursera had a negative return on equity of 1.72% and a negative net margin of 15.39%.The firm had revenue of $298.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $293.61 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.12 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 59.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Coursera will post 0.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Coursera declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Monday, May 18th that allows the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 55.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at Coursera

In related news, SVP Alan B. Cardenas sold 9,139 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.71, for a total value of $52,183.69. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 236,237 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,348,913.27. This trade represents a 3.72% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 16.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Coursera

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

About Coursera

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.