Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) Shares Down 5.2% – Here’s What Happened

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) traded down 5.2% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $33.61 and last traded at $33.38. 453,633 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 72% from the average session volume of 1,616,288 shares. The stock had previously closed at $35.22.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on the company. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Laureate Education in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Laureate Education from $32.00 to $36.50 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Wall Street Zen lowered Laureate Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Laureate Education from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Laureate Education from $40.00 to $41.50 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $39.63.

Laureate Education Stock Performance

The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $34.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $32.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The company has a market cap of $4.79 billion, a PE ratio of 17.48 and a beta of 0.56.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.76. The business had revenue of $541.39 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $527.10 million. Laureate Education had a return on equity of 23.50% and a net margin of 16.55%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 27.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.62 EPS. Laureate Education has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.950-2.030 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Laureate Education will post 1.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Laureate Education

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its position in shares of Laureate Education by 1,060.2% during the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 5,101,074 shares of the company’s stock valued at $160,888,000 after buying an additional 4,661,417 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Laureate Education by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,403,265 shares of the company’s stock worth $114,605,000 after buying an additional 92,571 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Laureate Education by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,272,264 shares of the company’s stock worth $76,506,000 after acquiring an additional 105,712 shares in the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Laureate Education by 52.6% during the 4th quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 2,654,708 shares of the company’s stock worth $89,384,000 after acquiring an additional 915,358 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in Laureate Education by 55.7% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,266,565 shares of the company’s stock valued at $76,315,000 after acquiring an additional 811,108 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.27% of the company’s stock.

Laureate Education Company 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.