Perdoceo Education (NASDAQ:PRDO) Sets New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Perdoceo Education Corporation (NASDAQ:PRDO)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $38.50 and last traded at $38.2750, with a volume of 72609 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $37.86.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Zacks Research raised Perdoceo Education from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Perdoceo Education in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $42.00 target price on shares of Perdoceo Education in a research note on Monday, January 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have given a Buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $42.00.

Perdoceo Education Trading Up 0.6%

The company has a quick ratio of 5.03, a current ratio of 5.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The business’s fifty day moving average is $32.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $32.46. The firm has a market cap of $2.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.89.

Perdoceo Education (NASDAQ:PRDO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The company reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $211.64 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $209.95 million. Perdoceo Education had a return on equity of 17.59% and a net margin of 18.90%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 20.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.50 EPS. Perdoceo Education has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.830-0.850 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 2.970-3.120 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Perdoceo Education Corporation will post 2.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Perdoceo Education Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd were given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 2nd. Perdoceo Education’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.90%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Perdoceo Education news, CFO Ashish R. Ghia sold 11,089 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.00, for a total transaction of $410,293.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 144,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,350,274. This represents a 7.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Todd S. Nelson sold 4,387 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.65, for a total transaction of $160,783.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 347,981 shares in the company, valued at $12,753,503.65. This trade represents a 1.25% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 176,318 shares of company stock valued at $6,127,875. 2.11% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Perdoceo Education

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Perdoceo Education in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its holdings in Perdoceo Education by 72.6% in the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 811 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 341 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its holdings in Perdoceo Education by 108.2% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 970 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 504 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Corp acquired a new position in Perdoceo Education in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in Perdoceo Education by 81.5% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 833 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 374 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.46% of the company’s stock.

About Perdoceo Education

Perdoceo Education Corporation (NASDAQ: PRDO) is a for-profit postsecondary education provider offering certificate, associate, bachelor’s and master’s degree programs. The company operates primarily through two brand platforms—Colorado Technical University and American InterContinental University—delivering career-focused education both on campus and online. These programs span fields such as business, information technology, healthcare and criminal justice, targeting working adults seeking to advance or pivot their careers.

With headquarters in Schaumburg, Illinois, Perdoceo serves students across the United States and internationally through its online offerings.