Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) Releases FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 1.950-2.030 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 1.950. The company issued revenue guidance of $1.9 billion-$1.9 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $1.8 billion.

Laureate Education Stock Down 2.6%

Shares of NASDAQ LAUR traded down $0.93 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $34.17. 587,360 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 916,049. The company’s fifty day moving average is $34.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $30.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. Laureate Education has a fifty-two week low of $17.91 and a fifty-two week high of $37.91. The stock has a market cap of $5.04 billion, a PE ratio of 24.95 and a beta of 0.57.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76. Laureate Education had a return on equity of 22.99% and a net margin of 12.86%.The company had revenue of $541.39 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $527.10 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.62 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 27.9% on a year-over-year basis. Laureate Education has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.950-2.030 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Laureate Education will post 1.51 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

LAUR has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Laureate Education in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Laureate Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Laureate Education from $32.00 to $36.50 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Laureate Education from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Laureate Education in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $40.00 price objective on the stock. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Laureate Education currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $34.88.

Key Headlines Impacting Laureate Education

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong revenue beat and growth: Q4 revenue of $541.4M topped consensus of $527.1M and rose ~27.9% year-over-year, signaling solid demand recovery. MarketBeat Q4/press
• Positive Sentiment: Share repurchase boost: management increased the buyback authorization by $150 million, a cash-return action that supports EPS and shareholder value. GlobeNewswire press release
• Positive Sentiment: FY‑2026 outlook supports growth: company provided EPS guidance of $1.95–$2.03 (around consensus) and revenue guidance near $1.9B, above the prior consensus of ~$1.8B — a modestly constructive signal for next‑year revenue. GlobeNewswire outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Profitability & margins on the radar: net margin expanded and management emphasized margin expansion as a focus, which could support longer‑term margin improvement but will take time to materialize. Investing.com margin story
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call available: the full Q4 2025 earnings call transcript provides management commentary on enrollment trends, margins and capital allocation for investors doing deeper due diligence. Seeking Alpha transcript
• Negative Sentiment: EPS only met estimates: GAAP EPS of $0.76 matched consensus rather than meaningfully beating, which may have disappointed investors looking for upside; that likely contributed to the stock decline. MarketBeat EPS summary
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction and volume: shares fell on the print despite positives — lower-than-average intraday volume suggests the move may reflect short-term profit-taking or tempered investor enthusiasm rather than a decisive change in fundamentals. MarketBeat quote

Institutional Trading of Laureate Education

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LAUR. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Laureate Education by 3.3% during the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 14,053 shares of the company’s stock worth $443,000 after purchasing an additional 455 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of Laureate Education by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 126,399 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,955,000 after acquiring an additional 658 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in Laureate Education by 26.2% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,617 shares of the company’s stock worth $114,000 after acquiring an additional 751 shares in the last quarter. Susquehanna Portfolio Strategies LLC grew its position in Laureate Education by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Susquehanna Portfolio Strategies LLC now owns 34,689 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,168,000 after acquiring an additional 780 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its position in shares of Laureate Education by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 41,080 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,383,000 after purchasing an additional 803 shares during the last quarter. 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.