Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Perdoceo Education Co. (NASDAQ:PRDO)

Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC lifted its position in shares of Perdoceo Education Co. (NASDAQ:PRDO - Free Report) by 280.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 196,075 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 144,547 shares during the quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC owned about 0.30% of Perdoceo Education worth $5,190,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of PRDO. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Perdoceo Education by 227.1% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,315 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 913 shares during the period. Quarry LP grew its holdings in Perdoceo Education by 223.6% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,793 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 1,239 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Perdoceo Education in the fourth quarter worth $60,000. KBC Group NV grew its holdings in Perdoceo Education by 47.5% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,696 shares of the company's stock worth $98,000 after purchasing an additional 1,190 shares during the period. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its holdings in Perdoceo Education by 53.8% in the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 3,875 shares of the company's stock worth $103,000 after purchasing an additional 1,355 shares during the period. 93.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Perdoceo Education

In related news, insider Michele A. Peppers sold 13,091 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.00, for a total transaction of $392,730.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 49,914 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,497,420. This trade represents a 20.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Todd S. Nelson sold 38,984 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.66, for a total transaction of $961,345.44. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 644,047 shares of the company's stock, valued at $15,882,199.02. This trade represents a 5.71% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 123,782 shares of company stock valued at $3,167,399 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 2.11% of the company's stock.

Perdoceo Education Stock Up 3.1%

Shares of PRDO traded up $0.93 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $31.06. 479,266 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 468,422. The company has a current ratio of 4.84, a quick ratio of 5.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $25.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $26.35. Perdoceo Education Co. has a 52 week low of $20.23 and a 52 week high of $31.22. The company has a market cap of $2.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.12, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 0.79.

Perdoceo Education (NASDAQ:PRDO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $0.70 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.04. Perdoceo Education had a net margin of 21.66% and a return on equity of 16.85%. The company had revenue of $213.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $207.97 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.60 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 26.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Perdoceo Education Co. will post 2.41 EPS for the current year.

Perdoceo Education Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Sunday, June 1st will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.67%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. Perdoceo Education's payout ratio is currently 23.01%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on PRDO. StockNews.com cut shares of Perdoceo Education from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Barrington Research raised their price target on shares of Perdoceo Education from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd.

Perdoceo Education Company Profile

Perdoceo Education Corporation provides postsecondary education through online, campus-based, and blended learning programs in the United States. It operates in two segments, Colorado Technical University and The American InterContinental University System. The Colorado Technical University segment offers academic programs, such as business and management, nursing, healthcare management, computer science, engineering, information systems and technology, project management, cybersecurity, and criminal justice.