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

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $34.37 and last traded at $34.04, with a volume of 542462 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $33.84.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LAUR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group raised their price target on Laureate Education from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Zacks Research lowered shares of Laureate Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Laureate Education in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $40.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Laureate Education in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Laureate Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 20th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Laureate Education has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $33.00.

Laureate Education Stock Performance

The business has a 50-day moving average of $31.05 and a 200 day moving average of $27.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The company has a market cap of $5.00 billion, a PE ratio of 24.77 and a beta of 0.60.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $0.23 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.33 by ($0.10). The business had revenue of $400.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $391.77 million. Laureate Education had a net margin of 12.86% and a return on equity of 22.99%. Laureate Education’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.56 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Laureate Education will post 1.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Laureate Education announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, October 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $150.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 3.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Laureate Education

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its position in Laureate Education by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 137,319 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,331,000 after purchasing an additional 359 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System increased its stake in shares of Laureate Education by 1.2% during the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 37,415 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,180,000 after buying an additional 431 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Laureate Education by 3.3% in the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 14,053 shares of the company’s stock valued at $443,000 after acquiring an additional 455 shares in the last quarter. DNB Asset Management AS raised its holdings in shares of Laureate Education by 0.5% in the second quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 113,443 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,652,000 after acquiring an additional 563 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its stake in Laureate Education by 11.8% in the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 6,031 shares of the company’s stock worth $141,000 after acquiring an additional 636 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.27% of the company’s stock.

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.