Perdoceo Education (NASDAQ:PRDO) Cut to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Perdoceo Education (NASDAQ:PRDO) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Saturday morning.

PRDO has been the topic of a number of other reports. Zacks Research lowered shares of Perdoceo Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Perdoceo Education in a report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Barrington Research set a $44.00 target price on shares of Perdoceo Education in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Perdoceo Education presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $44.00.

Perdoceo Education Trading Down 7.1%

Perdoceo Education stock opened at $31.43 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $33.12 and its 200-day moving average is $33.75. Perdoceo Education has a 12 month low of $26.66 and a 12 month high of $38.50. The company has a market capitalization of $1.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.47, a PEG ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 0.71.

Perdoceo Education (NASDAQ:PRDO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.80. The firm had revenue of $213.35 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $212.50 million. Perdoceo Education had a return on equity of 18.93% and a net margin of 20.62%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.67 EPS. Perdoceo Education has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.730-0.740 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 3.100-3.160 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Perdoceo Education will post 3.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Perdoceo Education Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be issued a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. This is an increase from Perdoceo Education’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Perdoceo Education’s payout ratio is 21.90%.

Insider Activity at Perdoceo Education

In other news, Director Kenda B. Gonzales sold 9,308 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.79, for a total value of $323,825.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 48,158 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,675,416.82. The trade was a 16.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Michele A. Peppers sold 14,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.50, for a total transaction of $483,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 35,748 shares in the company, valued at $1,233,306. This represents a 28.14% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.46% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Perdoceo Education

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of PRDO. Seizert Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Perdoceo Education by 35.7% in the 4th quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC now owns 115,009 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,373,000 after purchasing an additional 30,283 shares in the last quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in Perdoceo Education in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,765,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP grew its stake in shares of Perdoceo Education by 392.3% during the fourth quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 61,197 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,795,000 after buying an additional 48,765 shares during the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Perdoceo Education during the fourth quarter worth $4,936,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Perdoceo Education by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,465,353 shares of the company’s stock valued at $130,969,000 after acquiring an additional 115,797 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.