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    Why Groupon Stock Is Surging After OrderUp Acquisition (Nasdaq: GRPN)

    Groupon

    By , Money Morning -

    Groupon Inc. (Nasdaq: GRPN) surprised many traders July 16 with the announcement it will purchase on-demand food ordering firm OrderUp.

    Groupon stock traded up 3.4% the day the deal was announced. That added to a 6.82% rise so far this week after an analyst at Macquarie Capital USA Inc. hiked the ratings outlook for Groupon as the company shifts its corporate strategy and refocuses on e-commerce. On Friday, the day after the deal was announced, GRPN stock continued in the green.

    Groupon's acquisition of OrderUp shows the firm is committed to providing shareholder value by expanding into a $70 billion market.

    Here's a look at why this is a great deal for Groupon investors...

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Why Groupon Stock Is Surging After OrderUp Acquisition (Nasdaq: GRPN)

By , Money Morning -

Groupon

Groupon Inc. (Nasdaq: GRPN) surprised many traders July 16 with the announcement it will purchase on-demand food ordering firm OrderUp.

Groupon stock traded up 3.4% the day the deal was announced. That added to a 6.82% rise so far this week after an analyst at Macquarie Capital USA Inc. hiked the ratings outlook for Groupon as the company shifts its corporate strategy and refocuses on e-commerce. On Friday, the day after the deal was announced, GRPN stock continued in the green.

Groupon's acquisition of OrderUp shows the firm is committed to providing shareholder value by expanding into a $70 billion market.

Here's a look at why this is a great deal for Groupon investors...

Groupon (Nasdaq: GRPN) Earnings Update: Record-Breaking Quarter, and Promising Future on these Two Numbers

By , Associate Editor, Money Morning • @TaraKateClarke -

Groupon Inc. (Nasdaq: GRPN) will report Q4 2013 earnings after closing bell today (Thursday). GRPN stock gained 1.2% in pre-market trading Thursday, despite projections of a slow quarter.

The current Wall Street consensus expectation is earnings per share (EPS) gain of $0.02 per share on $718.67 million in revenue, compared to a loss of $0.01 per share in the same period a year ago.

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Groupon CEO Andrew Mason Is Out; Does Stock Have a Chance?

By , Contributing Writer, Money Morning -

Groupon CEO Andrew Mason was ousted by the company after a horrible earnings report and steep drive in stock price.

The Groupon stock price tumbled 26% in after-hours trading Wednesday following the release of a dismal fourth-quarter earnings report, and then plunged another 24% today (Thursday).

It was announced Thursday after market close that Eric Lefkofsky and Vice Chairman Ted Leonsis have been appointed to the newly created Office of the Chief Executive, effective immediately, replacing Andrew Mason. Lefkofsky and Leonsis will serve in this role on an interim basis.

"On behalf of the entire Groupon Board, I want to thank Andrew for his leadership, his creativity and his deep loyalty to Groupon. As a founder, Andrew helped invent the daily deals space, leading Groupon to become one of the fastest growing companies in history," said Lefkofsky.

The Board will start a search for a new Chief Executive.

The mounting misery at Groupon had left many questioning Mason's fate before the announcement. 

Last year, the company's board mulled replacing him. The latest results and lackluster outlook sealed the deal for Mason at the Chicago-based company.

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Groupon CEO Andrew Mason May Need a New Daily Deal for Himself

By , Contributing Writer, Money Morning -

Groupon CEO Andrew Mason may soon be hunting for a new deal of his own.

The Groupon Inc. (Nasdaq: GRPN) leader and founder just might find himself looking for a new gig as reports have surfaced that the company's board could ask him to step down. The board is set to meet today (Thursday) to discuss the company and Mason.

Mason admits there have been "bumps in the road." Yet with GRPN shares down some 80% from its November 2011 initial public offering price of $20, it's more fitting to call Groupon's recent performance a train wreck.

Speaking this week at the Business Insider Ignition 2012 conference in New York, Mason said, "If I ever thought I wasn't the right guy for the job, I'd be the first person to fire myself."

Mason also confessed to Business Insider's Henry Blodget, "It would be weird if the board wasn't discussing if I was the right guy for the job."

But, the fraught CEO added "that he was confident that wasn't going to happen."

Yet, market participants appeared more confident that it just might happen, and sent shares up 12% Wednesday after the buzz surfaced.

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Why Investors Fled After Groupon Earnings Report (Nasdaq: GRPN)

By , Contributing Writer, Money Morning -

The Groupon earnings report (Nasdaq: GRPN) delivered today (Monday) after the bell beat earnings per share expectations, but failed to meet expected sales, showing the company's weakness going forward.

Groupon posted net income of $28.4 million, or 4 cents a share, compared to a net loss of $107.4 million, or 35 cents a share, for the same period last year.

Revenue jumped 45% to $568.3 million, though the company said sales would have grown by 53% when adjusted for currency exchange rates.

Analysts were expecting Groupon to do just a tad better than the first quarter. Estimates were for profit of three cents a share, versus two for last quarter, and revenue around $575 million, compared to Groupon's first quarter guidance of revenue between $550 million and $590 million.

The Groupon earnings report miss highlights the biggest concern among investors: Will this company be profitable?

Right now there are huge concerns.

"Groupon is overexposed to the European consumer and has seen its international growth slowing; the company has yet to roll out in those markets many of the new products and technologies that have driven US reacceleration," Goldman Sachs analyst Heath Terry wrote in a recent note.

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Will LinkedIn Corp. (NYSE: LNKD) Earnings Follow Groupon's Dismal Lead?

By , Associate Editor, Money Morning -

LinkedIn Corp. (NYSE: LNKD) reported earnings today (Thursday) that beat expectations, further distancing it from struggling Groupon Inc. (Nasdaq: GRPN) and raising the bar for competitors.

LinkedIn's revenue for the fourth quarter was $167.7 million, an 105% increase compared to $81.7 million for the same period the year before. That beat The Street estimate of $159.7 million.

Net income rose 30% to 6 cents per share or $6.9 million, up from $5.3 million a year ago, according to FactSet. Non-GAAP net income for the quarter was $13.3million or 12 cents per share.

LinkedIn had warned the fourth quarter could result in another loss due to costs of hiring more workers for new projects to grow its subscriber base. LinkedIn, however, usually gives conservative guidance and beats estimates, which it has done for the past few quarters.

LinkedIn Corp. (NYSE: LNKD) Gives Strong Guidance

LinkedIn scored half of total fourth-quarter revenue from hiring solutions, the services used to match up jobs and job seekers. About 30% of the total quarterly revenue came from its marketing business and ad sales, and the remaining 20% from premium subscriptions.

Those business segments' growth rates show their demand in the career networking universe: hiring solutions sales climbed 136%, marketing sales were up 77%, and premium subscriptions grew 87%.

LinkedIn also made strides in its international business, branching into growing markets that will have a bigger need for professional networking. It finalized three offices, one each in Japan, Brazil, and India.

For the current quarter, the company forecasts revenue in a range of $170 million to $175 million, ahead of the average $171 million estimate.



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Hot Stocks: Google Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOG) Spreads Beyond Search With Groupon Bid

By , Associate Editor, Money Morning -

Google Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOG) is gunning for even greater Web dominance in 2011 by announcing an aggressive move in the online advertising industry, as well as a game-changing entrance into the rapidly growing e-book market.

Google is close to sealing a deal to buy online coupon company Groupon for $5.3 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. This would be Google's biggest purchase to date. The two-year-old Groupon's popularity has skyrocketed since its November 2008 start, making it a target for Internet companies wanting a stronger hold on local advertising.

"This would basically get Google the feet on the street for what they would never build themselves," Jason Helfstein, an Oppenheimer & Company (NYSE: OPY) analyst, told The New York Times.

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