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

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of LAUR. Blue Trust Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Laureate Education in the 1st quarter valued at about $62,000. Avanza Fonder AB bought a new stake in shares of Laureate Education in the 1st quarter valued at about $93,000. CWM LLC lifted its stake in shares of Laureate Education by 260.1% in the 1st 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 last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Laureate Education in the 1st quarter valued at about $102,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Laureate Education by 1,875.1% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,340 shares of the company's stock valued at $130,000 after acquiring an additional 6,019 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.27% of the company's stock.

Laureate Education Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of LAUR stock traded up $0.13 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $27.98. 525,844 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 864,428. Laureate Education has a 1 year low of $14.45 and a 1 year high of $28.16. The company's 50 day moving average is $24.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $22.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The firm has a market cap of $4.12 billion, a PE ratio of 16.46 and a beta of 0.58.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 the consensus estimate of $502.00 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.65 EPS. The business'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. On average, equities research analysts predict that Laureate Education will post 1.51 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wall Street Zen raised Laureate Education from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $24.00.

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.