Should I Buy COUR? COUR 2026 Analysis

Should You Buy Coursera Inc (COUR) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Conclusion

Hold

Latest Price

6.180

1 Day change

52 Week Range

13.560

Analysis Updated At

2026/01/28

COUR is not a good buy right now for a Beginner, long-term investor who wants to act immediately. The stock is in a clear bearish trend (SMA200 > SMA20 > SMA5) and is trading below the key pivot (6.409) while sitting near support (S1 ~6.191). Although it looks short-term oversold and options positioning is bullish, the upcoming earnings (2026-02-05) and merger-related uncertainty create unfavorable near-term risk/reward for an impatient long-term entry. Net: HOLD / avoid starting a new long-term position today.

Technical Analysis

Trend and momentum remain bearish. Moving averages are stacked bearishly (SMA_200 > SMA_20 > SMA_5), indicating an established downtrend. MACD histogram is negative (-0.0169) though ‘negatively contracting,’ which can hint selling pressure is easing but not yet reversing. RSI(6) ~24 is near oversold, suggesting a potential short-term bounce risk for shorts, but oversold alone is not a confirmed trend reversal. Key levels: Pivot 6.409 (price 6.18 is below), immediate support S1 6.191 (price is essentially sitting on it), next support S2 6.057; resistance R1 6.627 then R2 6.761. Near-term pattern stats provided suggest modest upside probabilities, but the larger technical structure is still down.

Options Data

Bullish

Open Interest Put-Call Ratio

Bullish

Option Volume Put-Call Ratio

Options are positioned bullishly/positively skewed: open interest put/call is low (0.28) and volume put/call is even lower (0.14), implying more call interest than put interest and a generally constructive sentiment. Implied vol (~52.4%) is elevated but not extreme (IV percentile ~59.6), consistent with event/uncertainty pricing (earnings and merger headlines). Today’s options volume (1118) is well above the 5–10 day averages, suggesting sentiment is active, but it’s not a standalone buy signal given the downtrend. Intellectia Proprietary Trading Signals - [AI Stock Picker](module://ai_stock_pick): No signal on given stock today. - [SwingMax](module://swingmax): No signal on given stock recently.

Technical Summary

Sell

Buy

Positive Catalysts

1) Analyst support remains constructive overall: JPMorgan upgraded to Overweight (PT $12) and RBC reiterates Outperform (PT $11), suggesting upside potential if execution improves. 2) Options market skew (very low put/call ratios) reflects bullish positioning/expectations. 3) If the Coursera–Udemy transaction proceeds smoothly, perceived strategic scale and enterprise positioning could be viewed positively.

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

1) Technical downtrend is intact (bearish MA stack; price below pivot), which often dominates near-term performance. 2) Deal-related risk: investigation into Udemy’s proposed sale to Coursera adds headline risk and potential distraction/uncertainty. 3) Competitive pressure: Google’s free SAT practice exams in Gemini is a reminder that well-funded AI platforms can commoditize parts of online learning/test prep, pressuring growth/monetization at the margins. 4) Near-term event risk: earnings on 2026-02-05 (after hours) can reprice the stock quickly in either direction.

Financial Performance

Latest reported quarter: 2025/Q3. Revenue grew to $194.2M (+10.29% YoY), showing continued top-line expansion. However profitability weakened: net income fell to -$8.6M (more negative, -37.18% YoY) and EPS declined to -$0.05 (-44.44% YoY). Gross margin slipped slightly to 54.58% (-0.13% YoY). Overall: growth is present, but losses widened and margins are not expanding—this is not the clean ‘profitable growth’ profile most beginner long-term investors prefer at entry.

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

Recent Street trend is mixed but leaning supportive with reduced targets: JPMorgan upgraded to Overweight with a $12 target (2025-12-17). RBC kept Outperform but cut PT to $11 from $13 (2026-01-05). UBS maintained Neutral and cut PT to $9 from $11 (2025-12-18) after the Udemy merger update. Wall Street pros: potential AI/enterprise tailwinds and strategic benefits from the Udemy combination; multiple firms still see material upside vs. ~$6.18. Cons: price target cuts signal tempered near-term confidence; merger complexity and profitability challenges remain. Trading behavior check: Hedge funds neutral and insiders neutral recently. No recent congress trading data available, and no noted politician/influential-figure buys/sells in the provided dataset.

13 Analyst Rating

Wall Street analysts forecast COUR stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for COUR is 12.1 USD with a low forecast of 9 USD and a high forecast of 14 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.

8 Buy

5 Hold

0 Sell

Moderate Buy

Current: 6.180

Low

Averages

12.1

High

Current: 6.180

Low

Averages

12.1

High

RBC Capital

Outperform

NULL

downgrade

$13 -> $11

AI Analysis

2026-01-05

Reason

RBC Capital

Price Target

$13 -> $11

AI Analysis

2026-01-05

downgrade

Outperform

NULL

Reason

RBC Capital lowered the firm's price target on Coursera to $11 from $13 and keeps an Outperform rating on the shares. 2026 is likely to be a year when AI tailwinds become more evident for companies well positioned for enterprise AI adoption, while less prepared peers may remain pressured by the "AI is the death of software" narrative, the analyst tells investors in a research note. Enterprise spending appears to be stabilizing and improving in select areas, with GenAI driving innovation even as management teams remain conservative in early 2026 guidance, the firm says.

UBS

Neutral

downgrade

$11 -> $9

2025-12-18

Reason

UBS

Price Target

$11 -> $9

2025-12-18

downgrade

Neutral

Reason

UBS lowered the firm's price target on Coursera (COUR) to $9 from $11 and keeps a Neutral rating on the shares. The firm updated its estimates following the Udemy (UDMY) merger.

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COUR Should I Buy

COUR Should I Buy

Should You Buy Coursera Inc (COUR) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Technical Analysis

Options Data

Technical Summary

Positive Catalysts

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

Financial Performance

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

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