Aberdeen Group plc Raises Stock Holdings in Laureate Education $LAUR

Aberdeen Group plc boosted its position in shares of Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) by 7.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 261,269 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 17,867 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc owned about 0.18% of Laureate Education worth $8,250,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Candriam S.C.A. raised its stake in shares of Laureate Education by 510.4% in the second quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 1,214,700 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,401,000 after purchasing an additional 1,015,711 shares during the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd raised its position in Laureate Education by 113.8% during the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 1,288,851 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,133,000 after buying an additional 685,998 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners lifted its stake in Laureate Education by 22.4% during the 2nd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 2,503,885 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,669,000 after acquiring an additional 458,202 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH lifted its stake in Laureate Education by 219.5% during the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 213,338 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,729,000 after acquiring an additional 146,565 shares during the period. Finally, CW Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Laureate Education in the 2nd quarter valued at $3,284,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.27% of the company’s stock.

Laureate Education News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Laureate Education this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 revenue beat and strong top‑line growth — Q4 revenue of $541.4M topped consensus and rose ~28% year‑over‑year, a key driver for investor confidence in growth momentum. Laureate Education Reports Financial Results for the Fourth Quarter and Full‑Year 2025 and Provides 2026 Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Share repurchase expansion — company increased its buyback authorization by $150M, which supports EPS per share and is typically viewed positively by the market. GlobeNewswire: Laureate Education Reports Financial Results…
• Positive Sentiment: FY‑2026 guidance looks constructive — management set EPS guidance of $1.95–$2.03 and lifted revenue targets to roughly $1.9B, roughly in line with or above some sell‑side expectations, supporting a positive medium‑term outlook. Laureate projects 11%-12% revenue growth in 2026…
• Neutral Sentiment: EPS essentially in line — Q4 EPS of $0.76 met consensus, so upside was driven by revenue rather than an EPS surprise; investors may be waiting for margin or cadence clarity. Laureate Education: Q4 Earnings Snapshot
• Neutral Sentiment: Management is investing in digital and campus expansion — the company signaled continued investment behind growth initiatives (11–12% revenue growth target for 2026), which supports long‑term upside but may weigh on near‑term margins. Laureate Education shares rise 4% on strong revenue growth…
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term guidance and messaging caused confusion — some headlines noted an “earnings miss” and there are inconsistent/unclear Q1 guidance figures in reports that likely prompted profit‑taking and volatility today. (Investors react negatively to mixed or unclear short‑term guidance.)
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed market reaction despite positives — elevated trading volume and contradictory takes (some outlets flagged a miss while others highlighted revenue beat) created short‑term selling pressure as the market digests the detail from the earnings call and slides. Laureate Education, Inc. Q4 2025 Earnings Call Summary

Laureate Education Stock Performance

LAUR opened at $32.83 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $34.40 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $31.00. Laureate Education has a 52-week low of $17.91 and a 52-week high of $37.91. The company has a market cap of $4.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.10 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76. The business had revenue of $541.39 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $527.10 million. Laureate Education had a net margin of 16.55% and a return on equity of 24.42%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 27.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.62 earnings per share. Laureate Education has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.950-2.030 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Laureate Education will post 1.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Laureate Education announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Thursday, October 30th that permits the company to buyback $150.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 3.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LAUR has been the subject of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Laureate Education in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Laureate Education in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $40.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Laureate Education from $32.00 to $36.50 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. UBS Group boosted their price target on Laureate Education from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Laureate Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Laureate Education currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $34.88.

Laureate Education Profile

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.