Coursera (NYSE:COUR – Get Free Report) and Perdoceo Education (NASDAQ:PRDO – Get Free Report) are both consumer discretionary companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, institutional ownership, dividends, profitability, analyst recommendations, earnings and valuation.
Valuation and Earnings
This table compares Coursera and Perdoceo Education”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Coursera | $757.50 million | 1.85 | -$51.00 million | ($0.67) | -7.90 |
| Perdoceo Education | $846.10 million | 2.43 | $159.91 million | $2.74 | 12.01 |
Profitability
This table compares Coursera and Perdoceo Education’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Coursera | -15.39% | -1.72% | -1.07% |
| Perdoceo Education | 20.62% | 18.93% | 14.66% |
Risk and Volatility
Coursera has a beta of 1.26, meaning that its share price is 26% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Perdoceo Education has a beta of 0.73, meaning that its share price is 27% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a breakdown of current ratings for Coursera and Perdoceo Education, as provided by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Coursera | 1 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 2.50 |
| Perdoceo Education | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2.67 |
Coursera presently has a consensus target price of $8.55, indicating a potential upside of 61.39%. Perdoceo Education has a consensus target price of $44.00, indicating a potential upside of 33.66%. Given Coursera’s higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Coursera is more favorable than Perdoceo Education.
Insider and Institutional Ownership
89.5% of Coursera shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 93.5% of Perdoceo Education shares are owned by institutional investors. 16.3% of Coursera shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 1.5% of Perdoceo Education shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.
Summary
Perdoceo Education beats Coursera on 10 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Coursera
Coursera, Inc. operates an online educational content platform in the United States, Europe, Africa, the Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and internationally. It operates in three segments: Consumer, Enterprise, and Degrees. The company offers guided projects, courses, and specializations, as well as online degrees; and certificates for entry-level professional, non-entry level professional, university, and MasterTrack. It offers its products to individuals, enterprise, business, campus, and government. The company was formerly known as Dkandu, Inc. and changed its name to Coursera, Inc. in April 2012. Coursera, Inc. was incorporated in 2011 and is headquartered in Mountain View, California.
About Perdoceo Education
Perdoceo Education Corporation provides postsecondary education through online, campus-based, and blended learning programs in the United States. It operates in two segments, Colorado Technical University and The American InterContinental University System. The Colorado Technical University segment offers academic programs, such as business and management, nursing, healthcare management, computer science, engineering, information systems and technology, project management, cybersecurity, and criminal justice. The American InterContinental University System segment provides academic programs, including business studies, information technologies, education, and health sciences. The company also offers non-degree and professional development programs. In addition, it operates intellipath, a learning platform used to educate students; and a mobile application and two-way messaging platform. The company was formerly known as Career Education Corporation and changed its name to Perdoceo Education Corporation in January 2020. Perdoceo Education Corporation was incorporated in 1994 and is headquartered in Schaumburg, Illinois.
Receive News & Ratings for Coursera Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Coursera and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
