Groupon Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NASDAQ:GRPN)

Groupon, Inc. (NASDAQ:GRPN) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock traders acquired 10,209 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 32% compared to the typical volume of 7,740 call options.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Groupon

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Blueshift Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Groupon during the 4th quarter worth approximately $732,000. Centiva Capital LP acquired a new position in Groupon during the third quarter worth $442,000. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Groupon by 19.2% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 710,942 shares of the coupon company’s stock valued at $6,953,000 after acquiring an additional 114,400 shares during the period. Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. acquired a new stake in shares of Groupon in the 4th quarter valued at $2,178,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of Groupon in the 3rd quarter worth about $814,000. 90.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Groupon Stock Performance

NASDAQ GRPN opened at $18.83 on Friday. Groupon has a twelve month low of $7.75 and a twelve month high of $18.97. 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 stock has a market cap of $749.64 million, a P/E ratio of 36.92 and a beta of 1.41. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $12.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $11.37.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Groupon from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Ascendiant Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Groupon from $14.00 to $19.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Groupon has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $17.75.

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.