Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) Hits New 12-Month High – Here’s What Happened

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $34.15 and last traded at $33.84, with a volume of 1144341 shares. The stock had previously closed at $33.83.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on LAUR. Zacks Research lowered Laureate Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Laureate Education in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $40.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Laureate Education in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Laureate Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Laureate Education from $26.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $33.00.

Laureate Education Price Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $30.86 and a 200 day moving average of $27.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.99 billion, a PE ratio of 24.72 and a beta of 0.60.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.33 by ($0.10). Laureate Education had a net margin of 12.86% and a return on equity of 22.99%. 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 previous year, the business posted $0.56 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Laureate Education will post 1.51 EPS for the current year.

Laureate Education declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, October 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $150.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 3.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Laureate Education

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAUR. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD purchased a new stake in Laureate Education in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Laureate Education by 328.6% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,650 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 1,265 shares during the period. Francis Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Laureate Education during the third quarter worth about $102,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in Laureate Education during the second quarter worth about $108,000. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in Laureate Education by 26.2% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,617 shares of the company’s stock valued at $114,000 after purchasing an additional 751 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.27% of the company’s stock.

About Laureate Education

Laureate Education, Inc (NASDAQ: LAUR) is a leading global network of higher education institutions dedicated to providing undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs to a diverse student body. The company designs and delivers academic offerings through a combination of campus-based and online platforms, focusing on fields such as business, health sciences, engineering, education and hospitality management. By aligning its curriculum with regional workforce needs, Laureate aims to equip students with practical skills and industry insights that support career advancement and lifelong learning.

Through its network, Laureate operates a broad portfolio of universities and colleges, including both longstanding campus institutions and digitally native programs.