Coupang Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:CPNG)

Coupang, Inc. (NYSE:CPNG) was the target of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Stock investors bought 25,136 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 50% compared to the average volume of 16,777 call options.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Pranam Kolari sold 11,653 shares of Coupang stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.98, for a total value of $372,662.94. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 147,023 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,701,795.54. This trade represents a 7.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Jonathan D. Lee sold 2,679 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.62, for a total value of $63,277.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 122,096 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,883,907.52. This trade represents a 2.15% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 12.78% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Coupang

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd lifted its stake in Coupang by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 7,436 shares of the company’s stock worth $239,000 after purchasing an additional 330 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of Coupang by 0.5% in the third quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 78,679 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,533,000 after purchasing an additional 361 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Coupang by 0.5% in the second quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 68,468 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,051,000 after buying an additional 363 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its stake in Coupang by 0.6% during the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 65,029 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,094,000 after buying an additional 364 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Resonant Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Coupang by 2.9% during the third quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 13,088 shares of the company’s stock valued at $421,000 after buying an additional 374 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.72% of the company’s stock.

Key Coupang News

Here are the key news stories impacting Coupang this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Political intervention may reduce regulatory pressure — U.S. Senator JD Vance publicly warned South Korea against imposing penalties on Coupang, a comment that appears to have eased near-term cross‑border regulatory risk and helped the stock rally intraday. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual bullish options flow — pro‑investor reporting shows a spike in call purchases (≈25k calls, ~50% above typical daily volume), signaling short-term speculative bullish positioning that can amplify intraday upside. (options flow report)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and outlets are re‑evaluating valuation — coverage focuses on how the breach, leadership changes and litigation will alter Coupang’s growth multiple and long‑term case; these pieces provide context but not immediate catalysts. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Massive data breach increases legal and regulatory risk — reports say ~33.7 million accounts were affected; the breach and alleged disclosure delays are cited as the root cause for multiple lawsuits and heightened cross‑border scrutiny, which threatens reputation, compliance costs and potential fines. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Flood of securities‑class‑action notices and filings — multiple law firms (Levi & Korsinsky, Hagens Berman, Bronstein Gewirtz & Grossman, Bernstein Liebhard, Pomerantz, The Gross Law Firm, Berger Montague, Rosen, Kahn Swick & Foti, etc.) have announced suits or investor alerts with Feb. 17 lead‑plaintiff deadlines; potential payouts, discovery and legal fees are immediate downside risks. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Investor uncertainty and potential disclosures — repeated investor alerts emphasize alleged disclosure delays; ongoing investigations or additional negative disclosures would likely pressure the stock further. Read More.

Coupang Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of CPNG stock opened at $19.98 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 1.06. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $23.72 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $28.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.50 billion, a PE ratio of 95.17 and a beta of 1.20. Coupang has a 52-week low of $18.55 and a 52-week high of $34.08.

Coupang (NYSE:CPNG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.04 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $9.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.13 billion. Coupang had a return on equity of 6.95% and a net margin of 1.16%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 17.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.06 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Coupang will post 0.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CPNG has been the topic of several recent research reports. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Coupang from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Coupang from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Coupang from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Coupang in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Nomura downgraded Coupang from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $22.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $32.57.

About Coupang

Coupang, listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker CPNG, is a South Korean e-commerce company headquartered in Seoul. Founded in 2010 by Bom Kim, the company grew rapidly by combining an online marketplace with a large direct-retail business model. Coupang completed a primary listing in the United States in 2021, and it has become one of South Korea’s leading online retailers by focusing on convenience, speed and a wide product assortment across consumer categories.

The company operates a vertically integrated e-commerce platform that includes a customer-facing marketplace and an extensive logistics and fulfillment network.