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

Groupon, Inc. (NASDAQ:GRPN) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 7,150,000 shares, an increase of 5.5% from the August 31st total of 6,780,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,270,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.6 days. Approximately 34.0% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on GRPN shares. Northland Securities cut their price objective on shares of Groupon from $22.00 to $20.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Roth Mkm reduced their price objective on shares of Groupon from $28.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Northland Capmk upgraded Groupon to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $17.83.

Insider Buying and Selling at Groupon

In other Groupon news, Director Robert J. Bass sold 4,583 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 104,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,188,696.85. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other Groupon news, Director Robert J. Bass sold 4,583 shares of Groupon stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.35, for a total value of $52,017.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 104,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,188,696.85. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Jason Harinstein bought 15,000 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 55,658 shares in the company, valued at approximately $590,531.38. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 35.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Groupon

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of GRPN. Swiss National Bank bought a new position in shares of Groupon in the 4th quarter worth $475,000. Pale Fire Capital SE boosted its holdings in shares of Groupon by 4.8% in the 4th 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. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in 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 worth $789,000 after purchasing an additional 17,440 shares during the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP increased 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 valued at $1,277,000 after buying an additional 21,468 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Susquehanna Portfolio Strategies LLC boosted its holdings in Groupon by 16.3% in the first quarter. Susquehanna Portfolio Strategies LLC now owns 97,686 shares of the coupon company’s stock worth $1,303,000 after acquiring an additional 13,663 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.05% of the company’s stock.

Groupon Trading Down 3.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ GRPN traded down $0.31 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $9.47. The stock had a trading volume of 1,388,307 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,245,917. Groupon has a 52-week low of $8.08 and a 52-week high of $19.56. The firm has a market cap of $374.45 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.31 and a beta of 1.80. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $12.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $13.46. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.62.

Groupon (NASDAQ:GRPN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The coupon company reported ($0.15) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.25) by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $124.62 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $121.70 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted ($0.30) EPS. Analysts expect that Groupon will post 0.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.