Groupon (NASDAQ:GRPN) Trading 8.8% Higher - Still a Buy?

Groupon, Inc. (NASDAQ:GRPN - Get Free Report) shot up 8.8% on Friday . The company traded as high as $12.74 and last traded at $12.63. 929,771 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 28% from the average session volume of 1,298,442 shares. The stock had previously closed at $11.61.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on GRPN. Roth Mkm restated a "buy" rating and set a $26.00 price objective on shares of Groupon in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on Groupon from $11.00 to $8.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Northland Securities reduced their target price on Groupon from $20.00 to $17.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $17.00.

Groupon Stock Up 11.5 %

The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.66. The company has a market capitalization of $515.02 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.39 and a beta of 1.72. The company has a 50-day moving average of $10.08 and a 200-day moving average of $12.65.

Groupon (NASDAQ:GRPN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The coupon company reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.25) by $0.58. The company had revenue of $114.48 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $119.02 million. Groupon had a return on equity of 91.94% and a net margin of 3.87%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.22) earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Groupon, Inc. will post -0.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Groupon

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of Groupon by 112.5% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,456 shares of the coupon company's stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 2,888 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Groupon by 129.1% in the third quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 13,340 shares of the coupon company's stock valued at $130,000 after buying an additional 7,516 shares in the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of Groupon in the third quarter valued at $145,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. purchased a new position in Groupon in the third quarter valued at $174,000. Finally, Marathon Trading Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Groupon in the third quarter valued at $195,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.05% of the company's stock.

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.