AlphaQuest LLC Has $4.02 Million Position in Laureate Education $LAUR

AlphaQuest LLC boosted its position in Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) by 41.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 127,409 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 37,516 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC owned 0.09% of Laureate Education worth $4,018,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAUR. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Laureate Education by 48.7% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 156,668 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,204,000 after purchasing an additional 51,337 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its stake in Laureate Education by 3.0% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 98,173 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,008,000 after buying an additional 2,838 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in Laureate Education by 7.4% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 407,255 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,328,000 after buying an additional 27,978 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC grew its position in Laureate Education by 179.4% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 163,912 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,352,000 after acquiring an additional 105,247 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Laureate Education by 20.0% during the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 66,933 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,369,000 after acquiring an additional 11,170 shares in the last quarter. 96.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LAUR has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Laureate Education from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley increased 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Laureate Education in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $40.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Laureate Education in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Laureate Education presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $33.75.

Laureate Education Stock Performance

Shares of Laureate Education stock opened at $34.32 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $5.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.05 and a beta of 0.60. Laureate Education has a twelve month low of $17.91 and a twelve month high of $36.34. The company’s fifty day moving average is $33.25 and its 200 day moving average is $29.75. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.33 by ($0.10). Laureate Education had a net margin of 12.86% and a return on equity of 22.99%. The company had revenue of $400.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $391.77 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.56 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Laureate Education will post 1.51 EPS for the current year.

Laureate Education announced that its board has authorized 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 repurchase up to 3.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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.