Phoenix Education Partners, Inc. (NYSE:PXED) Receives Average Recommendation of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts broadly rate Phoenix Education Partners “Hold,” with four buys, two holds and one sell among seven analysts. The average 12-month price target is $41.60, above the stock’s reported $26.53 opening price.
• The company beat quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $1.43 in EPS versus the $1.28 consensus estimate on $271.8 million in revenue. Analysts expect full-year EPS of $4.46.
• Phoenix Education Partners declared a quarterly dividend of $0.21, equating to $0.84 annually and a 3.2% yield; institutional investors including BlackRock and Wellington Management also increased or initiated positions.

Shares of Phoenix Education Partners, Inc. (NYSE:PXED - Get Free Report) have been given an average rating of "Hold" by the seven ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have assigned a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $41.60.

Several research firms recently issued reports on PXED. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on Phoenix Education Partners from $39.00 to $36.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Zacks Research downgraded Phoenix Education Partners from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Wall Street Zen lowered Phoenix Education Partners from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $40.00 price objective on shares of Phoenix Education Partners in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, B. Riley Financial cut their price objective on Phoenix Education Partners from $54.00 to $51.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 21st.

Phoenix Education Partners Stock Performance

Shares of PXED stock opened at $26.53 on Monday. Phoenix Education Partners has a 12 month low of $23.52 and a 12 month high of $47.08. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $28.68 and its 200-day simple moving average is $29.64. The firm has a market cap of $956.44 million and a PE ratio of 12.34. The company has a quick ratio of 1.92, a current ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

Phoenix Education Partners (NYSE:PXED - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 14th. The company reported $1.43 EPS 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 firm had revenue of $271.80 million for the quarter. Equities research analysts expect that Phoenix Education Partners will post 4.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Phoenix Education Partners Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 29th were paid a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 29th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. Phoenix Education Partners's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.07%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Phoenix Education Partners during the second quarter worth about $12,620,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Phoenix Education Partners by 48.3% in the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 743,112 shares of the company's stock valued at $24,411,000 after buying an additional 241,997 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG acquired a new stake in shares of Phoenix Education Partners in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,618,000. Heartland Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Phoenix Education Partners during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,398,000. Finally, Bastion Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Phoenix Education Partners during the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,085,000.

About Phoenix Education Partners

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.

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