Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) Receives $33.00 Average Price Target from Analysts

Shares of Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $33.00.

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on LAUR shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Laureate Education in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $40.00 price target for the company. UBS Group lifted their price target on Laureate Education from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Laureate Education from $26.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. Zacks Research cut Laureate Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Laureate Education in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Laureate Education

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LAUR. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its position in Laureate Education by 1,060.2% during the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 5,101,074 shares of the company’s stock worth $160,888,000 after acquiring an additional 4,661,417 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Laureate Education by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,298,980 shares of the company’s stock valued at $77,139,000 after purchasing an additional 30,808 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Laureate Education by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,272,264 shares of the company’s stock worth $76,506,000 after buying an additional 105,712 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners grew its stake in Laureate Education by 22.4% in the 2nd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 2,503,885 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,669,000 after buying an additional 458,202 shares during the last quarter. Finally, William Blair Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Laureate Education during the third quarter worth approximately $54,859,000. 96.27% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Laureate Education Price Performance

Shares of LAUR stock opened at $34.17 on Friday. 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 has a 12-month low of $17.82 and a 12-month high of $34.37. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $31.55 and a 200-day moving average of $28.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.94 and a beta of 0.60.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) last announced its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $400.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $391.77 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.56 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Laureate Education will post 1.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Laureate Education declared that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Thursday, October 30th that authorizes the company to repurchase $150.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 3.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Laureate Education Company 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.