Cape Ann Asset Management Ltd Lowers Stock Holdings in Laureate Education $LAUR

Key Points

• Cape Ann Asset Management cut its Laureate Education stake by 27.5% in the first quarter, selling 201,878 shares and leaving it with 533,022 shares worth about $18.57 million.
• Institutional ownership of LAUR remains very high, with hedge funds and other investors holding 96.27% of the company’s stock despite mixed trading activity among large holders.
• Laureate Education reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of -$0.17 versus the -$0.24 estimate and revenue of $272.61 million, while analysts currently rate the stock a “Moderate Buy” with an average target price of $40.90.

Cape Ann Asset Management Ltd lessened its stake in shares of Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR - Free Report) by 27.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 533,022 shares of the company's stock after selling 201,878 shares during the quarter. Laureate Education accounts for about 4.2% of Cape Ann Asset Management Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position. Cape Ann Asset Management Ltd owned 0.38% of Laureate Education worth $18,570,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of LAUR. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Laureate Education by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,403,265 shares of the company's stock valued at $114,605,000 after purchasing an additional 92,571 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Laureate Education by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,272,264 shares of the company's stock worth $76,506,000 after purchasing an additional 105,712 shares in the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Laureate Education by 52.6% during the 4th quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 2,654,708 shares of the company's stock valued at $89,384,000 after purchasing an additional 915,358 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Laureate Education by 55.7% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,266,565 shares of the company's stock valued at $76,315,000 after purchasing an additional 811,108 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC boosted its position in Laureate Education by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 1,827,026 shares of the company's stock valued at $61,516,000 after buying an additional 123,525 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.27% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LAUR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Laureate Education from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Laureate Education from $41.50 to $41.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 4th. Zacks Research lowered Laureate Education from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. UBS Group raised their price target on Laureate Education from $37.50 to $39.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Barrington Research started coverage on Laureate Education in a research report on Thursday. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $45.00 price objective for the company. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $40.90.

Laureate Education Trading Up 1.1%

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

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($0.17) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.24) by $0.07. The business had revenue of $272.61 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $265.06 million. Laureate Education had a net margin of 16.08% and a return on equity of 22.07%. Laureate Education's revenue was up 15.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.13) earnings per share. Laureate Education has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.080 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Laureate Education will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Laureate Education

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.

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