Groupon, Inc. (NASDAQ:GRPN) Sees Large Decline in Short Interest

Groupon, Inc. (NASDAQ:GRPN) was the target of a large decline in short interest during the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 6,780,000 shares, a decline of 5.8% from the August 15th total of 7,200,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,190,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.7 days. Approximately 32.2% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on GRPN shares. Northland Securities cut their price target on Groupon from $22.00 to $20.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Roth Mkm cut their target price on Groupon from $28.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Northland Capmk upgraded shares of Groupon to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $17.83.

Groupon Trading Up 4.6 %

Shares of GRPN opened at $12.40 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.62. The stock has a market cap of $490.31 million, a PE ratio of -9.61 and a beta of 1.80. Groupon has a 1 year low of $8.08 and a 1 year high of $19.56. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $13.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $14.00.

Groupon (NASDAQ:GRPN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The coupon company reported ($0.15) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.25) by $0.10. The company had revenue of $124.62 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $121.70 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted ($0.30) earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Groupon will post 0.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Groupon news, Director Jason Harinstein purchased 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $10.61 per share, with a total value of $159,150.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 55,658 shares in the company, valued at approximately $590,531.38. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, Director Jason Harinstein acquired 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $10.61 per share, for a total transaction of $159,150.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 55,658 shares in the company, valued at approximately $590,531.38. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Robert J. Bass sold 4,583 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.35, for a total transaction of $52,017.05. Following the transaction, the director now owns 104,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,188,696.85. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 35.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Groupon

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Swiss National Bank bought a new stake in Groupon during the 4th quarter worth approximately $475,000. Pale Fire Capital SE increased its stake in shares of Groupon by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Pale Fire Capital SE now owns 7,040,410 shares of the coupon company’s stock valued at $90,399,000 after buying an additional 323,344 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Groupon in the first quarter valued at $711,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Groupon by 41.8% in the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 59,163 shares of the coupon company’s stock valued at $789,000 after buying an additional 17,440 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP lifted its position in Groupon by 28.9% during the 1st quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 95,722 shares of the coupon company’s stock worth $1,277,000 after buying an additional 21,468 shares in the last quarter. 90.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Groupon

Groupon, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates a marketplace that connects consumers to merchants. It operates in two segments, North America and International. The company sells goods or services on behalf of third-party merchants. It serves customers through its mobile applications and websites.