Groupon, Inc. (NASDAQ:GRPN) Short Interest Up 6.7% in October

Groupon, Inc. (NASDAQ:GRPN) was the target of a large growth in short interest in October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 9,260,000 shares, a growth of 6.7% from the September 30th total of 8,680,000 shares. Currently, 44.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 1,350,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 6.9 days.

Groupon Stock Down 5.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ GRPN traded down $0.57 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $10.26. The company had a trading volume of 1,087,762 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,243,047. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.62, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 0.94. Groupon has a twelve month low of $8.08 and a twelve month high of $19.56. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $11.16 and its 200-day moving average is $13.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $407.75 million, a PE ratio of -9.08 and a beta of 1.78.

Groupon (NASDAQ:GRPN) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The coupon company reported ($0.15) earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 previous year, the company earned ($0.30) earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Groupon will post 0.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on GRPN shares. Northland Securities reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $20.00 target price on shares of Groupon in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $26.00 price objective on shares of Groupon in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Northland Capmk upgraded Groupon to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. One investment 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. According to MarketBeat, Groupon has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $17.83.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Groupon news, Director Jason Harinstein purchased 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were purchased 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 owns 55,658 shares in the company, valued at $590,531.38. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, Director Robert J. Bass sold 4,583 shares of Groupon stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 104,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,188,696.85. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Jason Harinstein purchased 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $10.61 per share, for a total transaction of $159,150.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 55,658 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $590,531.38. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 31.91% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Groupon

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System acquired a new position in shares of Groupon during the 1st quarter worth $151,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new position in Groupon during the first quarter valued at about $153,000. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Groupon in the first quarter worth about $309,000. Headlands Technologies LLC boosted its stake in shares of Groupon by 1,848.8% during the 2nd quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 22,879 shares of the coupon company’s stock worth $350,000 after acquiring an additional 21,705 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of Groupon during the 3rd quarter valued at about $411,000. Institutional investors own 90.05% of the company’s stock.

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.