Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) Hits New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $36.09 and last traded at $36.0670, with a volume of 385198 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $34.81.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on LAUR. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Laureate Education from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Laureate Education in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $40.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Laureate Education in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research cut Laureate Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Laureate Education from $26.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $33.75.

Laureate Education Stock Up 3.3%

The company has a market capitalization of $5.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.26 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $32.62 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $29.30.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) last announced its 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). The company had revenue of $400.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $391.77 million. Laureate Education had a return on equity of 22.99% and a net margin of 12.86%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.56 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Laureate Education will post 1.51 EPS for the current year.

Laureate Education announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, October 30th that permits the company to repurchase $150.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 3.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LAUR. Aberdeen Group plc grew its stake in shares of Laureate Education by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 280,389 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,441,000 after buying an additional 19,120 shares in the last quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management lifted its stake in Laureate Education by 22.0% during the 4th quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 48,259 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,625,000 after acquiring an additional 8,700 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in Laureate Education by 357.4% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 162,204 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,461,000 after acquiring an additional 126,738 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in Laureate Education by 69.4% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 297,579 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,019,000 after acquiring an additional 121,939 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Laureate Education by 79.5% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 18,812 shares of the company’s stock worth $663,000 after purchasing an additional 8,334 shares during the period. 96.27% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.