Legato Capital Management LLC Takes $549,000 Position in Laureate Education $LAUR

Legato Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 16,310 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $549,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its holdings in shares of Laureate Education by 0.3% in 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 last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of Laureate Education by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 37,415 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,180,000 after acquiring an additional 431 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Laureate Education by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 14,053 shares of the company’s stock valued at $443,000 after acquiring an additional 455 shares during the last quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Laureate Education by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 17,183 shares of the company’s stock valued at $579,000 after acquiring an additional 565 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in shares of Laureate Education by 109.0% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,097 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 572 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.27% of the company’s stock.

Laureate Education Trading Up 1.3%

NASDAQ:LAUR opened at $33.54 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $33.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $33.17. The company has a market capitalization of $4.69 billion, a PE ratio of 17.65 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. Laureate Education has a 52-week low of $21.16 and a 52-week high of $37.91.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($0.17) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.24) by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $272.61 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $265.06 million. Laureate Education had a return on equity of 22.07% and a net margin of 16.08%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 15.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted ($0.13) EPS. Laureate Education has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.080 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Laureate Education will post 2.08 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LAUR has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group increased their price objective on Laureate Education from $37.50 to $39.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Laureate Education from $32.00 to $36.50 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Laureate Education from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Laureate Education from $40.00 to $41.50 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Laureate Education from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $40.00.

Laureate Education 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.