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

Groupon, Inc. (NASDAQ:GRPN) saw a significant 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. Approximately 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.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 sale, the director now owns 104,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,188,696.85. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director Robert J. Bass sold 4,583 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director now owns 104,731 shares in the company, valued at $1,188,696.85. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Jason Harinstein purchased 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 purchase, the director now directly owns 55,658 shares in the company, valued at $590,531.38. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 31.91% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Groupon

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wolf Hill Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Groupon in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $17,897,000. Hennessy Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Groupon in the second quarter worth approximately $10,884,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in Groupon by 259.3% during the second 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. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC raised its position in Groupon by 591.4% in the second quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 123,727 shares of the coupon company’s stock valued at $1,893,000 after purchasing an additional 105,832 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP acquired a new position in shares of Groupon in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,463,000. 90.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Groupon Trading Down 5.3 %

Groupon stock traded down $0.57 during trading on Thursday, reaching $10.26. 1,087,762 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,243,047. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $11.16 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $13.09. The company has a market capitalization of $407.75 million, a P/E ratio of -9.08 and a beta of 1.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.62, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.94. Groupon has a 52-week low of $8.08 and a 52-week high of $19.56.

Groupon (NASDAQ:GRPN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The coupon company reported ($0.15) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.25) by $0.10. The company 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 firm earned ($0.30) EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Groupon will post 0.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on GRPN shares. Northland Securities reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $20.00 price objective on shares of Groupon in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $26.00 target price on shares of Groupon in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Northland Capmk raised shares of Groupon to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average 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.