Engine Capital Management LP Decreases Holdings in Laureate Education $LAUR

Key Points

• Engine Capital Management LP reduced its holdings in Laureate Education by 74.5% in the first quarter, now owning approximately 489,000 shares valued at $10 million.
• Laureate Education's stock opened at $27.95, with a 12-month range of $14.45 to $28.16, and a market cap of $4.12 billion.
• Wall Street analysts upgraded Laureate Education from a "hold" to a "strong-buy" rating, with a consensus target price of $24.00.

Engine Capital Management LP lessened its stake in shares of Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR - Free Report) by 74.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 488,933 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,431,036 shares during the period. Laureate Education accounts for 1.9% of Engine Capital Management LP's portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Engine Capital Management LP owned 0.32% of Laureate Education worth $9,999,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Blue Trust Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Laureate Education in the first quarter valued at $62,000. Avanza Fonder AB bought a new stake in Laureate Education in the first quarter valued at $93,000. CWM LLC grew its position in Laureate Education by 260.1% in the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,901 shares of the company's stock valued at $100,000 after acquiring an additional 3,540 shares during the period. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Laureate Education during the first quarter worth $102,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Laureate Education by 1,875.1% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,340 shares of the company's stock worth $130,000 after purchasing an additional 6,019 shares during the last quarter. 96.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Laureate Education from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $24.00.

Laureate Education Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LAUR traded down $0.26 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $27.72. 283,069 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 860,976. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. Laureate Education has a 12 month low of $14.45 and a 12 month high of $28.16. The company's 50 day moving average price is $24.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $22.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.08 billion, a PE ratio of 16.30 and a beta of 0.58.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.06. Laureate Education had a return on equity of 29.46% and a net margin of 16.41%.The firm had revenue of $524.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $502.00 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.65 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Laureate Education has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Laureate Education will post 1.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Laureate Education

Laureate Education, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, offers higher education programs and services to students through a network of universities and higher education institutions. The company provides a range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the areas of business and management, medicine and health sciences, and engineering and information technology through campus-based, online, and hybrid programs.