Laureate Education $LAUR Stock: William Blair Investment Management LLC Lowers Position

Key Points

• William Blair Investment Management cut its Laureate Education stake by 34% in the third quarter, selling 627,500 shares and retaining 1.22 million shares worth about $46.4 million.
• Other institutional investors increased holdings, and hedge funds and institutions collectively owned 96.27% of LAUR.
• Laureate beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, with revenue up 21.2% year over year. Analysts’ consensus rating was Moderate Buy, with an average price target of $40.90.

William Blair Investment Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR - Free Report) by 34.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,216,438 shares of the company's stock after selling 627,500 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.88% of Laureate Education worth $46,419,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of LAUR. Ninety One UK Ltd boosted its position in Laureate Education by 34.5% during the 3rd quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 3,842,476 shares of the company's stock worth $146,629,000 after acquiring an additional 984,671 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of Laureate Education by 39.8% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,155,090 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,243,000 after purchasing an additional 328,609 shares during the period. Ninety One North America Inc. lifted its position in shares of Laureate Education by 1.5% in the third quarter. Ninety One North America Inc. now owns 964,909 shares of the company's stock worth $36,821,000 after purchasing an additional 14,717 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its position in shares of Laureate Education by 26.0% in the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 751,400 shares of the company's stock worth $26,179,000 after purchasing an additional 155,200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Laureate Education by 736.0% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 726,646 shares of the company's stock worth $25,316,000 after purchasing an additional 639,726 shares in the last quarter. 96.27% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on LAUR. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Laureate Education from $34.50 to $36.50 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Laureate Education from a "buy (a)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Barrington Research initiated coverage on shares of Laureate Education in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $45.00 target price for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of Laureate Education from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $41.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $40.90.

Laureate Education Stock Up 0.3%

LAUR stock traded up $0.09 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $35.03. The stock had a trading volume of 1,040,993 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,467,901. Laureate Education has a 1-year low of $24.98 and a 1-year high of $40.92. The company has a fifty day moving average of $37.00 and a 200 day moving average of $35.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.83, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.45.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $485.09 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $480.16 million. Laureate Education had a return on equity of 26.41% and a net margin of 20.28%. The firm's revenue was up 21.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.23 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Laureate Education will post 2.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Ian Snow sold 427,019 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.26, for a total transaction of $15,483,708.94. Following the transaction, the director owned 1,646,324 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $59,695,708.24. This trade represents a 20.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 521,229 shares of company stock worth $19,103,350 over the last 90 days. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Laureate Education

Laureate Education, Inc. operates a network of private higher education institutions in Mexico and Peru. Its principal institutions are Universidad del Valle de México (UVM) and Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas (UPC). The company offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs, as well as other academic and professional education, across fields that include business, health sciences, engineering and technology. Its institutions serve students through campus-based and digital learning options.

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