Phoenix Education Partners (NYSE:PXED) Shares Down 14.2% – Should You Sell?

Shares of Phoenix Education Partners, Inc. (NYSE:PXED) dropped 14.2% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $29.07 and last traded at $29.6750. Approximately 22,100 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 79% from the average daily volume of 103,096 shares. The stock had previously closed at $34.57.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on PXED. Wall Street Zen lowered Phoenix Education Partners from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $40.00 target price on shares of Phoenix Education Partners in a report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Phoenix Education Partners from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of Phoenix Education Partners from $39.00 to $36.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $45.00 price target on shares of Phoenix Education Partners in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $42.20.

Phoenix Education Partners Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.10 billion and a PE ratio of 14.33. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $31.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $30.21. The company has a quick ratio of 2.01, a current ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

Phoenix Education Partners (NYSE:PXED) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 14th. The company reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.15. Phoenix Education Partners had a return on equity of 63.05% and a net margin of 8.18%.The firm had revenue of $271.80 million for the quarter. Equities analysts forecast that Phoenix Education Partners, Inc. will post 4.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Phoenix Education Partners Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 29th will be given a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 29th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. Phoenix Education Partners’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.07%.

Institutional Trading of Phoenix Education Partners

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of Phoenix Education Partners during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey purchased a new position in Phoenix Education Partners in the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new stake in Phoenix Education Partners in the 4th quarter worth about $89,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Phoenix Education Partners in the 4th quarter worth about $92,000. Finally, State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in Phoenix Education Partners during the 1st quarter worth approximately $151,000.

About Phoenix Education Partners

Our Mission To provide access to higher education opportunities that enable students to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to achieve their professional goals, improve the performance of their organizations and provide leadership and service to their communities. We are a mission-driven organization operating at the forefront of the rapidly evolving post-secondary education market. As one of the largest online education providers and a pioneer in our field, we benefit from the dynamic interplay between technological innovation, education, employment and economic trends.