Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) Short Interest Update

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) was the target of a large drop in short interest during the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 1,833,032 shares, a drop of 14.6% from the January 15th total of 2,147,019 shares. Approximately 1.3% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 955,164 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.9 days. Based on an average trading volume of 955,164 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.9 days. Approximately 1.3% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on LAUR. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Laureate Education from $26.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Laureate Education in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Laureate Education from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Laureate Education in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $40.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Laureate Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $33.75.

Laureate Education Price Performance

LAUR stock traded down $0.02 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $34.75. 718,642 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 892,615. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $34.29 and a 200 day simple moving average of $30.89. Laureate Education has a 52 week low of $17.91 and a 52 week high of $36.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.43 and a beta of 0.57.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Laureate Education

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAUR. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Laureate Education by 40.1% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 597,598 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,121,000 after buying an additional 171,158 shares during the period. Jain Global LLC raised its position in shares of Laureate Education by 65.7% in the 4th quarter. Jain Global LLC now owns 90,079 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,033,000 after acquiring an additional 35,712 shares in the last quarter. FIL Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Laureate Education by 107.7% during the 4th quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 116,214 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,913,000 after purchasing an additional 60,262 shares during the last quarter. Sciencast Management LP boosted its position in Laureate Education by 42.3% during the fourth quarter. Sciencast Management LP now owns 17,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $580,000 after purchasing an additional 5,121 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its stake in Laureate Education by 10.1% in the fourth quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 75,728 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,550,000 after purchasing an additional 6,950 shares during the last quarter. 96.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.