Phoenix Education Partners (NYSE:PXED) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research upgraded Phoenix Education Partners from “strong sell” to “hold.” Overall analyst sentiment remains a “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $41.60.
• Phoenix Education Partners shares opened at $25.02, down 0.8%, and remain below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages. The stock has traded between $23.52 and $47.08 over the past year.
• The company exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $1.43 in EPS versus the $1.28 consensus estimate, on revenue of $271.8 million. Several institutional investors, including Wellington Management, increased or initiated positions during the second quarter.

Phoenix Education Partners (NYSE:PXED - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Zacks Research from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Zacks reports.

PXED has been the subject of a number of other reports. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $40.00 price objective on shares of Phoenix Education Partners in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Phoenix Education Partners to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Phoenix Education Partners from $39.00 to $36.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Phoenix Education Partners from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Phoenix Education Partners from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Phoenix Education Partners has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $41.60.

Phoenix Education Partners Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of PXED opened at $25.02 on Thursday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $27.75 and its 200 day moving average price is $29.39. Phoenix Education Partners has a 12-month low of $23.52 and a 12-month high of $47.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.91, a quick ratio of 1.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The firm has a market cap of $901.97 million and a P/E ratio of 11.64.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of Phoenix Education Partners by 48.3% during the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 743,112 shares of the company's stock worth $24,411,000 after buying an additional 241,997 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of Phoenix Education Partners during the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in Phoenix Education Partners in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,085,000. Man Group plc purchased a new position in Phoenix Education Partners in the second quarter worth approximately $486,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC purchased a new position in Phoenix Education Partners in the second quarter worth approximately $281,000.

Phoenix Education Partners Company Profile

Phoenix Education Partners, Inc NYSE: PXED is an education company focused on providing higher education and career-oriented learning opportunities for working adults. Its principal institution is University of Phoenix, which offers programs designed to accommodate students balancing education with professional and personal responsibilities.

Through University of Phoenix, the company provides online and flexible learning options in areas such as business, education, health care, information technology, nursing, and criminal justice.

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