Phoenix Education Partners (NYSE:PXED) Stock Rating Lowered by Zacks Research

Phoenix Education Partners (NYSE:PXED) was downgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Zacks reports.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on PXED. B. Riley Financial lowered shares of Phoenix Education Partners from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $44.00 to $25.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Phoenix Education Partners from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Jefferies Financial Group raised Phoenix Education Partners to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Barrington Research downgraded Phoenix Education Partners from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Phoenix Education Partners from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Phoenix Education Partners presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $31.67.

Phoenix Education Partners Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:PXED traded down $1.85 during trading on Thursday, hitting $19.66. 226,743 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 97,603. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $25.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $28.70. Phoenix Education Partners has a 52-week low of $19.55 and a 52-week high of $35.90. The company has a market cap of $708.60 million and a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.58. The company has a quick ratio of 1.92, a current ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

Phoenix Education Partners (NYSE:PXED) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 3rd. The company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.07. Phoenix Education Partners had a net margin of 8.18% and a return on equity of 60.06%. The company had revenue of $260.68 million for the quarter. As a group, equities analysts predict that Phoenix Education Partners will post 3.94 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Phoenix Education Partners

In other news, insider John Woods sold 19,453 shares of Phoenix Education Partners stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.89, for a total value of $503,638.17. Following the sale, the insider owned 62,682 shares in the company, valued at $1,622,836.98. This trade represents a 23.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold 20,703 shares of company stock worth $534,904 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 5.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of PXED. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in Phoenix Education Partners in the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new position in shares of Phoenix Education Partners during the third quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in shares of Phoenix Education Partners in the second quarter valued at approximately $64,000. State of Wyoming purchased a new position in shares of Phoenix Education Partners in the second quarter valued at approximately $78,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Phoenix Education Partners in the second quarter worth approximately $191,000.

About Phoenix Education Partners

Phoenix Education Partners, Inc is a higher education company focused on serving working adults and other nontraditional students. Through the University of Phoenix, its principal operating institution, the company provides career-oriented undergraduate and graduate degree programs, professional certificates, and other educational offerings.

The University of Phoenix primarily delivers instruction through online learning, with programs designed to offer flexible scheduling for students balancing education with employment and other responsibilities.