Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) Reaches New 52-Week High – What’s Next?

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $34.15 and last traded at $33.84, with a volume of 1144341 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $33.83.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on LAUR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Laureate Education in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $40.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Laureate Education in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen cut Laureate Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 20th. Zacks Research lowered Laureate Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on Laureate Education from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $33.00.

Laureate Education Stock Up 0.0%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $30.71 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $27.56. The company has a market capitalization of $4.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.70 and a beta of 0.60.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $0.23 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.33 by ($0.10). Laureate Education had a return on equity of 22.99% and a net margin of 12.86%.The company had revenue of $400.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $391.77 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.56 EPS. Laureate Education’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Laureate Education will post 1.51 EPS for the current year.

Laureate Education declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, October 30th that permits the company to buyback $150.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 3.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Laureate Education

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its holdings in Laureate Education by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 137,319 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,331,000 after acquiring an additional 359 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its position in shares of Laureate Education by 1.2% during the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 37,415 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,180,000 after purchasing an additional 431 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake 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 valued at $443,000 after purchasing an additional 455 shares during the period. DNB Asset Management AS grew its holdings in shares of Laureate Education by 0.5% in the second quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 113,443 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,652,000 after purchasing an additional 563 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its stake in Laureate Education by 11.8% in the 2nd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 6,031 shares of the company’s stock worth $141,000 after buying an additional 636 shares during the period. 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.