Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) Stock Has Average Target Price of $40.50 According to Analysts

Shares of Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the seven ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $40.50.

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings cut Laureate Education from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a report on Monday, September 28th. Morgan Stanley lowered Laureate Education from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and set a $34.50 price target on the stock. in a report on Monday, July 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $41.00 price objective on shares of Laureate Education in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Barrington Research began coverage on Laureate Education in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $45.00 price objective for the company.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Laureate Education news, Director Ian Snow sold 427,019 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.26, for a total transaction of $15,483,708.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 1,646,324 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $59,695,708.24. This represents a 20.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In the last quarter, insiders sold 521,229 shares of company stock valued at $19,103,350. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Laureate Education

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LAUR. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of Laureate Education by 39.8% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,155,090 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,243,000 after purchasing an additional 328,609 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its position in Laureate Education by 26.0% in the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 751,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,179,000 after purchasing an additional 155,200 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Laureate Education by 736.0% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 726,646 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,316,000 after purchasing an additional 639,726 shares in the last quarter. Neumeier Poma Investment Counsel LLC acquired a new stake in Laureate Education in the 2nd quarter valued at $19,142,456. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in Laureate Education by 83.9% in the 1st quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 547,194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,064,000 after buying an additional 249,615 shares during the last quarter. 96.27% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Laureate Education Stock Up 0.8%

Laureate Education stock opened at $38.56 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.31 billion, a PE ratio of 17.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 0.41. Laureate Education has a twelve month low of $24.98 and a twelve month high of $40.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The company has a 50 day moving average of $37.37 and a 200-day moving average of $35.76.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.96 by $0.04. Laureate Education had a net margin of 17.57% and a return on equity of 23.54%. The company had revenue of $615.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $607.56 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.79 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 17.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Laureate Education has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.040-2.100 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Laureate Education will post 2.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Laureate Education Company Profile

Laureate Education, Inc is a provider of higher education services that operates universities and other postsecondary institutions. Through its network of institutions, the company offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs, professional education, and related academic services in fields such as business, health sciences, engineering, technology, and social sciences.

Laureate primarily serves students in Latin America, with operations in Mexico and Peru. Its institutions deliver programs through in-person, online, and blended learning formats, and are intended to serve both traditional university students and working professionals.

The company traces its roots to Sylvan Learning Systems, which expanded internationally and adopted the Laureate name in 2004.