Short Interest in Groupon, Inc. (NASDAQ:GRPN) Increases By 14.4%

Groupon, Inc. (NASDAQ:GRPN) was the target of a large increase in short interest in November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 10,650,000 shares, an increase of 14.4% from the October 31st total of 9,310,000 shares. Currently, 48.7% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 1,410,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 7.6 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Groupon

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of GRPN. FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of Groupon by 112.5% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,456 shares of the coupon company’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 2,888 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Groupon by 129.1% during the 3rd quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 13,340 shares of the coupon company’s stock valued at $130,000 after acquiring an additional 7,516 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of Groupon during the 3rd quarter worth $145,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Groupon in the third quarter worth $174,000. Finally, Marathon Trading Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Groupon during the third quarter worth about $195,000. 90.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Groupon Price Performance

GRPN stock remained flat at $9.55 during midday trading on Tuesday. 162,884 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,282,343. Groupon has a 12-month low of $7.75 and a 12-month high of $19.56. The firm has a market cap of $379.80 million, a PE ratio of 18.73 and a beta of 1.72. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.66. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $10.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $12.82.

Groupon (NASDAQ:GRPN) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The coupon company reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.25) by $0.58. The company had revenue of $114.48 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $119.02 million. Groupon had a net margin of 3.87% and a return on equity of 91.94%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.22) EPS. Equities analysts expect that Groupon will post -0.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on GRPN shares. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $26.00 price target on shares of Groupon in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on Groupon from $11.00 to $8.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Northland Securities cut their price target on Groupon from $20.00 to $17.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $17.00.

Groupon Company Profile

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.