Groupon, Inc. (NASDAQ:GRPN) Short Interest Update

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

Groupon Price Performance

Shares of Groupon stock traded down $0.31 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $9.47. 1,388,307 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,245,917. The stock has a market capitalization of $374.45 million, a PE ratio of -7.31 and a beta of 1.80. The business has a 50-day moving average of $12.67 and a 200 day moving average of $13.46. Groupon has a fifty-two week low of $8.08 and a fifty-two week high of $19.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.62.

Groupon (NASDAQ:GRPN) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $121.70 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.30) earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Groupon will post 0.04 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Groupon news, Director Jason Harinstein bought 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was bought at an average cost 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $590,531.38. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, Director Robert J. Bass sold 4,583 shares of the 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 sale, the director now directly owns 104,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,188,696.85. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Jason Harinstein acquired 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $10.61 per share, with a total value of $159,150.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 55,658 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $590,531.38. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 35.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Groupon

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of GRPN. Wolf Hill Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Groupon in the 1st quarter worth approximately $17,897,000. Hennessy Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Groupon during the second quarter worth approximately $10,884,000. Pale Fire Capital SE grew its holdings in 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. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in shares of Groupon by 259.3% in the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 191,514 shares of the coupon company’s stock worth $2,930,000 after acquiring an additional 138,218 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC raised its holdings in shares of Groupon by 591.4% during the 2nd quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 123,727 shares of the coupon company’s stock worth $1,893,000 after acquiring an additional 105,832 shares during the period. 90.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.