Handelsbanken Fonder AB Sells 116,700 Shares of Laureate Education $LAUR

Key Points

• Handelsbanken Fonder AB cut its Laureate Education stake by 71.9%, selling 116,700 shares and retaining 45,719 shares valued at approximately $1.66 million.
• Laureate reported a strong quarter, with EPS of $1.00 exceeding estimates of $0.96 and revenue rising 17.5% year over year to $615.9 million. The company issued fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $2.04–$2.10.
• Institutional investors own 96.27% of LAUR, while analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $40.50; the stock recently traded at $37.71.

Handelsbanken Fonder AB decreased its holdings in Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR - Free Report) by 71.9% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 45,719 shares of the company's stock after selling 116,700 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB's holdings in Laureate Education were worth $1,661,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of LAUR. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Laureate Education by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,403,265 shares of the company's stock worth $114,605,000 after buying an additional 92,571 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its stake in Laureate Education by 3.3% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,272,264 shares of the company's stock valued at $76,506,000 after acquiring an additional 105,712 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Laureate Education by 52.6% in 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 acquiring an additional 915,358 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in Laureate Education by 55.7% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,266,565 shares of the company's stock worth $76,315,000 after acquiring an additional 811,108 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC increased its holdings in Laureate Education by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 1,827,026 shares of the company's stock worth $61,516,000 after acquiring an additional 123,525 shares in the last quarter. 96.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Laureate Education Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of Laureate Education stock opened at $37.71 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 0.71 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $37.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $34.87. The stock has a market cap of $5.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.40. Laureate Education has a 1-year low of $24.98 and a 1-year high of $40.92.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.96 by $0.04. Laureate Education had a return on equity of 23.54% and a net margin of 17.57%.The firm had revenue of $615.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $607.56 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.79 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 17.5% on a year-over-year basis. Laureate Education has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.040-2.100 EPS. Analysts predict that Laureate Education will post 2.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LAUR has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Laureate Education from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Laureate Education from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a research note on Thursday. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Laureate Education from $37.50 to $39.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley cut Laureate Education from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and set a $34.50 price objective on the stock. in a report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Barrington Research started coverage on Laureate Education in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. They set an "outperform" rating and a $45.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $40.50.

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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