Stock fact sheet · data as of
Coursera, Inc. (COUR): fair value, margin of safety and Wheel Score
Ticker symbol COUR · Consumer Defensive · Education & Training Services · United States · Speculative
Is COUR undervalued?
At 3.90 (close of 5 Nov 2026), COUR trades 56% below the GLS average fair value of 8.81. That average comes from 2 models run on the latest filings, and 1 of them land above the current price. Margins of safety over 30% are the exception rather than the rule across the ~7,400 stocks we value each night, so the number earns Coursera, Inc. the full Value points in the Wheel Score - and a closer look at what the market is pricing in.
The average is built from just 2 models (DCF, 10 Cap) - the rest returned nothing because an input they need (dividends, free cash flow, book value) is zero or negative - so treat it with more caution than usual.
The nightly engine files COUR under Speculative - it is losing money or its Piotroski health score is 3 or lower - which caps its Wheel Score at 45 and keeps it out of the Sunday Scan.
Nine valuation models for COUR
Each model turns the latest filed numbers into a value per share; the GLS fair value is the simple average of the ones that produce a positive number. The last two rows are shown for reference and never enter the average. The Quote page lets you switch any model off and add your own margin of safety.
| Model | Value | vs price | What it measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCF | 16.75 | +330% | Present value of the projected free cash flows, discounted at the cost of capital |
| Graham Number | - | - | The most a defensive investor pays for the earnings and book value per share; no value tonight |
| Graham Growth | - | - | Graham's growth formula: EPS × (8.5 + 2 × growth), adjusted for bond yields; no value tonight |
| Lynch | - | - | EPS × the earnings growth rate (PEG of 1), growth capped at 25%; no value tonight |
| GLS Growth | - | - | EPS compounded ten years at the blended growth rate, discounted back at 15% a year; no value tonight |
| 10 Cap | 0.8724 | -78% | Owner's earnings (operating cash flow less maintenance capex) capitalised at 10% |
| Payback Time | - | - | Eight years of compounded free cash flow: the price at which the business pays for itself; no value tonight |
| DDM | - | - | Dividend discount model: next year's dividend ÷ (10% − 3% growth); needs a dividend; no value tonight |
| EPV | - | - | Earnings power value: current EPS capitalised at 9% with no growth; no value tonight |
| Zombie (liquidation) | 2.02 | -48% | Current assets less all liabilities, per share: the balance-sheet floor. Not in the average |
| Wall St target | 6.38 | +64% | Analysts' average 12-month price target. Not in the average |
Quality and financial health
Coursera, Inc. scores only 3 of 9 on the Piotroski F-score, which fails the "Piotroski 6 or more" Wheel Trade Filter. A reading this low means several of the basic tests - positive earnings, positive operating cash flow, falling debt, no new share issuance - are not met. A GLS Moat score of 4.0/10 is a weak reading: the accounts do not show returns and margins that competitors have been unable to wear down, so the Moat part of the Wheel Score contributes little.
Returns on capital are thin or negative - ROIC -8.0%, ROE -8.0%, ROA -5.1% - with debt at 0.01 times equity and a free-cash-flow yield of 0.2%.
Coursera, Inc. pays no dividend, so the DDM model does not apply and a covered-call holder earns only the premium and any price gain. Revenue comes mainly from Consumer 53%, Enterprise 47% (quarter Q2 FY2026).
Institutional ownership scores 10/10, insider activity 6/10 and Congressional trading 5/10 on the GLS smart-money scales; the last recorded insider buy was on 29 Sep 2026.
| Piotroski F-score | 3 / 9 | ROIC | -8.0% |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLS Moat | 4.0 / 10 | ROE | -8.0% |
| Debt / equity | 0.01 | ROA | -5.1% |
| Free-cash-flow yield | 0.2% | Payout ratio | 0% |
| Institutions | 10 / 10 | Insiders · Congress | 6 · 5 / 10 |
Wheel Score 42: Weak
With a Wheel Score of 42 Coursera, Inc. sits in the Weak band. It fails filter 2, a real business, not a gamble - speculative (a loss, or a weak Piotroski score); and filter 4, financially healthy - Piotroski 3/9 (under 6); and filter 9, not a penny stock - price 3.90 (under $5); Red Flags (weak) is its weakest part.
Implied volatility is 48% on the near-the-money contracts 20-60 days out - inside the 35-60% sweet spot the Wheel Score rewards most: enough premium to be worth selling, not so much that the risk is unpaid. Chain open interest is 20,730 contracts across all expiries - enough for the wheel at normal size.
Volume runs at 12.7M shares a day on a market cap of $1.0B, with a beta of 1.25 - a high beta, so the stock tends to move more than the market and a strike can be gapped through; the Stability part of the Wheel Score rates that fair.
| Filter | Wheel Trade Filter | Result | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Options that actually trade | Passes | Listed options with 1,000+ contracts of open interest and 100+ traded a day |
| 2 | A real business, not a gamble | Fails | speculative (a loss, or a weak Piotroski score) |
| 3 | Below fair value | Passes | Trading below the nine-model average fair value (margin of safety above 0) |
| 4 | Financially healthy | Fails | Piotroski 3/9 (under 6) |
| 5 | Can repay its debt | Passes | Long-term debt repaid from 3 years of operating cash flow or less (6 for real estate and utilities; banks and insurers are not judged on it) |
| 6 | No serious red flags | Passes | Red Flags score 60 or more out of 100 (earnings, margins, debt, analysts, filings and price checked the same way for every stock) |
| 7 | A premium worth selling | Passes | Implied volatility 25-80% (enough premium, not a lottery ticket) |
| 8 | Big enough | Passes | Market cap $1 billion or more |
| 9 | Not a penny stock | Fails | price 3.90 (under $5) |
| How it ranks | Rating | From | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value | Strong | 56% below fair value | |
| Premium | Strong | implied volatility 48% | |
| Moat | Fair | moat 4.0/10 | |
| Health | Weak | Piotroski 3/9 | |
| Red Flags | Weak | Red Flags score 60/100 | |
| Option trading | Fair | 733 contracts a day, 20,730 open interest | |
| Stability | Fair | beta 1.25, $1.0B company |
The Wheel Score ranks ~7,400 US stocks for selling cash-secured puts and covered calls: a stock must pass all 9 Wheel Trade Filters to score 70, and the score then ranks the ones that pass; the Sunday Scan is the top 10. It is updated nightly and is not a recommendation. How the Wheel Score works · the walkthrough lesson shows how it fits into a trade, start to finish.
Upcoming events
No upcoming earnings date is recorded for COUR in the nightly calendar.
Analysts downgraded COUR 1 time in the last 30 days with no upgrades; the latest action was a reiterated rating by Needham on 30 Oct 2026.
Earnings, dividend, IPO, split and economic calendars for the whole market, filterable to your watchlists.
Similar stocks in Education & Training Services
The 12 companies below are the closest to Coursera, Inc. by market cap within the Education & Training Services industry, each with its own fact sheet; the Compare page puts up to eight of them side by side.
| Stock | Close | Fair value | MoS | Wheel | Mkt cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFYA Afya Limited | 10.50 | 35.73 | +71% | 39Weak | $960M |
| UTI Universal Technical Institute, Inc. | 22.33 | 18.50 | -21% | 32Weak | $1.2B |
| GOTU Gaotu Techedu Inc. | 2.35 | 2.57 | +9% | 23Weak | $829M |
| PXED Phoenix Education Partners, Inc | 21.66 | 48.20 | +55% | 34No options | $781M |
| APEI American Public Education, Inc. | 42.41 | 74.70 | +43% | 47Weak | $776M |
| STRA Strategic Education, Inc. | 74.32 | 182.52 | +59% | 49Weak | $1.7B |
| LINC Lincoln Educational Services Corporation | 20.11 | 26.73 | +25% | 42Weak | $638M |
| PRDO Perdoceo Education Corporation | 29.99 | 48.76 | +38% | 53Fair | $1.9B |
| DFPH DFP Healthcare Acquisitions Cor | 2.01 | - | - | 8No options | $436M |
| MH McGraw Hill, Inc. | 12.76 | 28.27 | +55% | 46Weak | $2.4B |
| DAO Youdao, Inc. | 20.69 | 13.26 | -56% | 26Weak | $2.5B |
| YUMM Yummies, Inc. | 0.7500 | 0.0000 | -191602102% | 10No options | $337M |
⚖ Compare COUR with 7 of them All Consumer Defensive stocks →
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Start free See the Sunday ScanQuestions about COUR
Is COUR undervalued right now?
By the GLS models, yes: at 3.90 the stock is 56% below the average fair value of 8.81 (data as of 5 Nov 2026). Whether the discount is deserved is the question to research next.
What is the Wheel Score of COUR and what does it mean?
COUR scores 42 out of 100 (Weak) - it fails Wheel Trade Filters 2, 4, 9. The Wheel Score ranks stocks for the wheel strategy - selling cash-secured puts, then covered calls if assigned - in two parts: the 9 pass/fail Wheel Trade Filters (busy options, a real business, below fair value, Piotroski 6 or more, debt it can repay, a Red Flags score of 60 or more, implied volatility of 25-80%, a $1 billion company, $5 a share) and a ranking of how strongly a stock passes on value, premium, moat, health, red flags, option trading and stability. A stock that fails any filter stays under 70; 70-84 is Good, 85 and above is Prime. The Sunday Scan is the top 10 that pass, sorted by Wheel Score.
What is the GLS fair value for COUR?
8.81 per share as of 5 Nov 2026 - the simple average of the 2 valuation models (out of nine: DCF, Graham Number, Graham Growth, Lynch, GLS Growth, 10 Cap, Payback Time, DDM and EPV) that produced a positive value. The models run every night on the latest filings; the Quote page lets you switch any of them off and add a margin of safety of your own.
When does Coursera, Inc. report earnings next?
No upcoming earnings date is recorded for COUR in our calendar as of 5 Nov 2026; the Calendars page is refreshed every morning.
Does COUR have listed options, and how liquid are they?
Yes. The nightly snapshot found 22 listed contracts with 20,730 open interest across all expiries and implied volatility of 48% on the near-the-money contracts. The Options scanner lists the cash-secured put and covered call set-ups with premium and annualised yield worked out.