Teacher Retirement System of Texas Trims Stock Position in Laureate Education $LAUR

Teacher Retirement System of Texas decreased its position in Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) by 57.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 131,826 shares of the company’s stock after selling 175,859 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in Laureate Education were worth $4,158,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Polaris Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Laureate Education by 18.5% during the 2nd quarter. Polaris Capital Management LLC now owns 81,300 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,901,000 after buying an additional 12,700 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in Laureate Education by 273.4% during the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 158,070 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,962,000 after acquiring an additional 115,732 shares in the last quarter. Aviva PLC purchased a new position in Laureate Education during the 2nd quarter valued at about $488,000. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Laureate Education during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,119,000. Finally, Boston Partners raised its holdings in shares of Laureate Education by 22.4% in the 2nd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 2,503,885 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,669,000 after purchasing an additional 458,202 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.27% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on LAUR shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Laureate Education in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Laureate Education from $26.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Laureate Education in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $40.00 price target on the stock. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on Laureate Education from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $33.75.

Laureate Education Price Performance

NASDAQ LAUR opened at $34.23 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $33.08 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $29.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.99 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. Laureate Education has a 12-month low of $17.91 and a 12-month high of $36.34.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.56 EPS. Analysts forecast that Laureate Education will post 1.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Laureate Education Profile

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.