Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. Invests $1.43 Million in Laureate Education $LAUR

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 61,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,431,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAUR. CWM LLC lifted its stake in shares of Laureate Education by 260.1% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,901 shares of the company’s stock valued at $100,000 after purchasing an additional 3,540 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its position in Laureate Education by 11.8% during the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 6,031 shares of the company’s stock worth $141,000 after acquiring an additional 636 shares in the last quarter. Avanza Fonder AB lifted its position in shares of Laureate Education by 54.8% in the second quarter. Avanza Fonder AB now owns 6,900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $161,000 after buying an additional 2,443 shares during the last quarter. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. bought a new position in Laureate Education in the 2nd quarter valued at about $178,000. Finally, Xponance Inc. acquired a new stake in Laureate Education during the 1st quarter worth approximately $201,000. 96.27% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on LAUR shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Laureate Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 20th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Laureate Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 29th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Laureate Education from $26.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Laureate Education in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Laureate Education from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Laureate Education currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $30.67.

Laureate Education Price Performance

LAUR stock opened at $30.13 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $29.89 and a 200-day moving average of $25.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.99 and a beta of 0.61. Laureate Education has a 12 month low of $17.82 and a 12 month high of $32.42. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.33 by ($0.10). Laureate Education had a return on equity of 22.99% and a net margin of 12.86%.The firm had revenue of $400.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $391.77 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.56 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Laureate Education has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Laureate Education will post 1.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Laureate Education announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, October 30th that allows the company to repurchase $150.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 3.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Laureate Education Company Profile

Laureate Education, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, offers higher education programs and services to students through a network of universities and higher education institutions. The company provides a range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the areas of business and management, medicine and health sciences, and engineering and information technology through campus-based, online, and hybrid programs.