Phoenix Education Partners (NYSE:PXED) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Jefferies Financial Group

Key Points

• Jefferies upgraded Phoenix Education Partners to “strong buy,” while the broader analyst consensus remains “moderate buy” with an average price target of $41.60.
• Phoenix Education Partners reported quarterly EPS of $1.43, beating estimates of $1.28, on revenue of $271.8 million; analysts expect full-year EPS of $4.46.
• Shares opened at $26.22, near the lower end of their 52-week range of $23.52 to $47.08, as institutional investors including Wellington Management and BlackRock increased or initiated positions.

Phoenix Education Partners (NYSE:PXED - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at Jefferies Financial Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a report released on Wednesday, Zacks reports.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on PXED. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $40.00 price target on shares of Phoenix Education Partners in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Wall Street Zen cut Phoenix Education Partners from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Zacks Research downgraded Phoenix Education Partners from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Weiss Ratings raised Phoenix Education Partners from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Phoenix Education Partners from $39.00 to $36.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Phoenix Education Partners presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $41.60.

Phoenix Education Partners Price Performance

Shares of NYSE PXED opened at $26.22 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 1.92 and a current ratio of 1.91. Phoenix Education Partners has a one year low of $23.52 and a one year high of $47.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $945.15 million and a P/E ratio of 12.20. The company's fifty day moving average is $28.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $29.55.

Phoenix Education Partners (NYSE:PXED - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 14th. The company reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $271.80 million during the quarter. Phoenix Education Partners had a net margin of 8.18% and a return on equity of 60.06%. Analysts forecast that Phoenix Education Partners will post 4.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Phoenix Education Partners

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in Phoenix Education Partners by 48.3% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 743,112 shares of the company's stock worth $24,411,000 after purchasing an additional 241,997 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Phoenix Education Partners during the 2nd quarter worth about $12,620,000. Heartland Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Phoenix Education Partners during the second quarter worth about $2,398,000. Bastion Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Phoenix Education Partners in the first quarter valued at approximately $2,085,000. Finally, Seven Grand Managers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Phoenix Education Partners during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,515,000.

Phoenix Education Partners Company Profile

Phoenix Education Partners, Inc is an education services company and the parent organization of University of Phoenix, a higher education institution focused primarily on working adults and other nontraditional learners. The company provides access to postsecondary education through online programs and related learning resources.

University of Phoenix offers associate, bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs, along with certificate and professional development options. Its academic offerings span fields such as business, education, health care, information technology, nursing, criminal justice and psychology.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.