News · Coursera, Inc. (COUR) · Consumer Defensive

Coursera falls 25.5% after quarterly results and weak guidance

Session of October 30, 2026 · Published October 31, 2026 · 4 min read

What happened

Coursera (COUR) fell 25.5% on October 30, 2026, after reporting third-quarter results and issuing fourth-quarter revenue guidance that came in below some analysts’ expectations. The company reported revenue of $377 million for the quarter and GAAP earnings of $0.21 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.19, according to Business Wire and Seeking Alpha. Management said consumer demand remained below the company’s growth ambitions and disclosed it expects to deliver more than $150 million in gross cost savings by year-end.

Closing price over the last 30 trading sessions. On October 30, 2026, COUR closed at $3.47, down 25.5% on the day and 32.8% lower than 30 sessions earlier.

How big was the move

The stock closed at $3.47, a session the data classifies as 5.4 times a typical daily move for this stock. Trading volume was 4.7 times its 20-day average, indicating an unusually heavy level of selling. Over the last five sessions the stock fell 31.7%, versus the S&P 500’s five-session decline of 0.6% and the Consumer Defensive sector median rise of 0.7%, putting the stock 26.3 percentage points worse than the sector median. The S&P 500 fell 1.8% on the day, amplifying pressure on riskier, higher-beta names; Coursera’s beta is 1.40, meaning the stock tends to move more than the market. The move followed the earnings release, so the results and guidance were the direct cause of the drop.

Each bar is one day's price change; the outlined bar is October 30, 2026. A typical daily move over the past year was 3.5%, so the latest move equals 7.3 times that. Moves outside the dashed lines (about 7.0%) are unusual.

The technical picture

The stock sat 29.5% below its 20-day moving average, 34.2% below its 50-day moving average and 39.0% below its 200-day moving average. The 50-day average is below the 200-day average, a sign of a weak longer-term trend. The Relative Strength Index (14 days) was 20, below 30, a level often called oversold. The shares were 61.0% below the 52-week high and have fallen 58.9% over one year, leaving the stock 68.9 percentage points behind the S&P 500 for that period. Volatility has picked up: the stock’s 60-day annualized volatility is 75%, higher than 93% of its own readings over five years.

Closing price over the past year. COUR ends the period 59.2% below its 52-week high, below its 50-day average ($5.27) and below its 200-day average ($5.69).

Fundamentals and valuation

For the four quarters through September 30, 2026, Coursera reported revenue of $1.07 billion, up 44.4% from a year earlier, and diluted earnings per share of $-0.76. Gross margin widened to 57.0% from 54.4% a year earlier, while operating margin improved to 16.0% from 10.2%. Free-cash-flow margin was 0.2% and return on invested capital was 13.4%. The company reported net cash of $670.6 million on the balance sheet and a share count that increased 60.8% over one year.

Quarterly revenue by period end. The latest quarter brought $377M, 94.0% more than the same quarter a year earlier.

On valuation, the stock traded at 5.5 times expected earnings on a price to forward earnings basis and showed a free-cash-flow yield of 0.2%. PromtFinance scores place Coursera high on Growth at 92 and Revisions at 84, while Value is 14, Momentum is 4 and Stability is 4. Those readings portray strong top-line expansion and recent positive analyst revisions, alongside weak price momentum and a stretched or inconsistent return profile.

Earnings and analyst expectations

Coursera reported on October 29, 2026, with GAAP earnings per share of $0.21 against $0.18 expected, 16.4% above estimates, according to the company’s report. That result marked the company’s second consecutive quarter beating estimates; the average surprise over the last four reports was 14.2% above estimates. Typical two-day reactions after recent reports had been modestly negative, with the stock falling 1.0% on average, but this session’s reaction was far larger because of the guidance the company issued alongside the results.

Diluted earnings per share by quarter. The latest quarter shows -$0.10, against -$0.05 in the same quarter a year earlier.

Analysts reacted by trimming forecasts after Coursera issued fourth-quarter revenue guidance that fell short of some expectations, according to Benzinga and The Motley Fool. Seventeen analysts cover the stock, with a consensus rating of Buy and 53% of analysts giving a Buy or Strong Buy. The consensus price target is $7.40, 113.3% above the closing price on October 30, 2026. The next report is scheduled for February 4, 2027.

What to watch

October 29, 2026: reported third-quarter revenue of $377 million and GAAP earnings of $0.21 per share, with management noting consumer demand remained below growth ambitions.
Management projection to deliver more than $150 million in gross cost savings by year-end.
Fourth-quarter revenue guidance issued with the third-quarter report that came in below some analysts’ expectations and prompted forecast cuts.
Next earnings report on February 4, 2027.
Balance sheet: net cash of $670.6 million as of the four quarters through September 30, 2026.

Full COUR analysis: scores, chart and financials →