Perdoceo Education (NASDAQ:PRDO) Shares Gap Up After Strong Earnings

Perdoceo Education Corporation (NASDAQ:PRDO) shares gapped up before the market opened on Friday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock had previously closed at $31.53, but opened at $32.78. Perdoceo Education shares last traded at $32.9670, with a volume of 52,959 shares changing hands.

The company reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.05. Perdoceo Education had a return on equity of 17.22% and a net margin of 19.24%.The firm had revenue of $211.64 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $209.95 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.50 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 20.0% on a year-over-year basis. 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.

Perdoceo Education Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 2nd. Perdoceo Education’s dividend payout ratio is 25.64%.

Perdoceo Education News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Perdoceo Education this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat: Perdoceo reported $0.59 EPS vs. $0.54 consensus and revenue of $211.6M (up 20% YoY), with a 19.2% net margin — the quarter shows solid operating leverage and enrollment-driven growth. Business Wire: Q4 & FY2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Strong guidance lift: Perdoceo raised FY2026 EPS to $2.97–$3.12 (above consensus ~2.78) and set Q1 FY2026 EPS at $0.83–$0.85 (well above consensus ~0.54). The guidance increase materially improves forward earnings visibility. Business Wire: Guidance Update
• Positive Sentiment: Profitability & capital returns: Management expects up to $263M of adjusted operating income in 2026, is expanding enrollments and running a share repurchase program — all supportive of EPS expansion and shareholder returns. Seeking Alpha: 2026 Adjusted Operating Income & Repurchase Program
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend declared: Board approved a $0.15 quarterly dividend (record Mar 2, pay Mar 13), implying ~1.9% yield — modest but signals confidence in free cash flow. (Company announcement 2/19/26)
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor materials / details available: The company released prepared remarks and the full earnings call transcript and multiple Q4 snapshots for deeper read — useful for modeling but not new catalysts by themselves. Seeking Alpha: Earnings Call Transcript Yahoo: Q4 Highlights

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PRDO has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Perdoceo Education in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen cut Perdoceo Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. Finally, Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $42.00 price objective on shares of Perdoceo Education in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $42.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Perdoceo Education

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Copeland Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Perdoceo Education during the third quarter valued at approximately $35,497,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in Perdoceo Education by 49.7% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,547,405 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,964,000 after buying an additional 513,599 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Perdoceo Education by 110.8% during the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 923,698 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,173,000 after acquiring an additional 485,571 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in Perdoceo Education by 183,302.3% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 390,647 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,458,000 after acquiring an additional 390,434 shares during the period. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of Perdoceo Education by 129.1% in the second quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 572,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,716,000 after acquiring an additional 322,605 shares in the last quarter. 93.46% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Perdoceo Education Stock Up 4.5%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 4.47 and a quick ratio of 4.45. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $30.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $32.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.12 billion, a PE ratio of 14.05, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.90.

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.