Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) Stock Price Up 7.3% – Time to Buy?

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) rose 7.3% on Monday . The stock traded as high as $34.00 and last traded at $33.9740. Approximately 2,852,613 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 155% from the average daily volume of 1,118,315 shares. The stock had previously closed at $31.67.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LAUR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Laureate Education from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Laureate Education from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of Laureate Education in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $40.00 price target for the company. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Laureate Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Laureate Education from $32.00 to $36.50 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Laureate Education has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $38.50.

Laureate Education Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $4.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.88 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $34.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $31.59.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Laureate Education

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Laureate Education by 48.7% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 156,668 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,204,000 after buying an additional 51,337 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Laureate Education by 3.0% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 98,173 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,008,000 after purchasing an additional 2,838 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in shares of Laureate Education by 7.4% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 407,255 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,328,000 after purchasing an additional 27,978 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Laureate Education by 179.4% in the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 163,912 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,352,000 after purchasing an additional 105,247 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Laureate Education by 20.0% during the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 66,933 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,369,000 after purchasing an additional 11,170 shares in the last quarter. 96.27% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.