Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Laureate Education $LAUR

Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. lessened its stake in Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) by 7.8% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,172,881 shares of the company’s stock after selling 99,572 shares during the quarter. Laureate Education accounts for about 2.4% of Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest position. Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Laureate Education were worth $40,863,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings 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 during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in Laureate Education by 3.0% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 98,173 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,008,000 after purchasing an additional 2,838 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in Laureate Education by 7.4% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 407,255 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,328,000 after purchasing an additional 27,978 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its stake in Laureate Education by 179.4% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 163,912 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,352,000 after buying an additional 105,247 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC grew its holdings 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 valued at $1,369,000 after purchasing an additional 11,170 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.27% of the company’s stock.

Laureate Education Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of NASDAQ LAUR opened at $37.00 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $36.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $34.57. The firm has a market cap of $5.18 billion, a PE ratio of 19.47 and a beta of 0.40. Laureate Education has a 1 year low of $21.53 and a 1 year high of $40.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.57.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on LAUR. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Laureate Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Laureate Education from $37.50 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Barrington Research assumed coverage on shares of Laureate Education in a report on Thursday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $45.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Laureate Education from $41.50 to $41.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, June 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Laureate Education from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $40.90.

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.