Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Increases Stock Holdings in Perdoceo Education Corporation $PRDO

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management dramatically increased its stake in Perdoceo Education, buying 390,434 additional shares in Q4 and ending with 390,647 shares worth about $11.5 million.
• Perdoceo Education reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $0.90 beating estimates and revenue of $221.74 million topping expectations; it also raised guidance for FY 2026 and Q2 2026.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share, while analysts currently hold a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $44.00.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in Perdoceo Education Corporation (NASDAQ:PRDO - Free Report) by 183,302.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 390,647 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 390,434 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. owned approximately 0.61% of Perdoceo Education worth $11,458,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of PRDO. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Perdoceo Education in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Perdoceo Education by 72.6% in the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 811 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 341 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in shares of Perdoceo Education by 108.2% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 970 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 504 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in shares of Perdoceo Education by 52.4% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,654 shares of the company's stock worth $78,000 after buying an additional 913 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Perdoceo Education by 60.9% in the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 2,401 shares of the company's stock worth $90,000 after buying an additional 909 shares in the last quarter. 93.46% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Perdoceo Education

In other Perdoceo Education news, SVP David C. Czeszewski sold 36,225 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.81, for a total transaction of $1,188,542.25. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 68,875 shares in the company, valued at $2,259,788.75. This trade represents a 34.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Todd S. Nelson sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.24, for a total transaction of $1,409,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 392,368 shares in the company, valued at $13,827,048.32. The trade was a 9.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 235,438 shares of company stock valued at $8,286,247. 1.46% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Perdoceo Education Price Performance

Shares of PRDO opened at $33.78 on Friday. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $35.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $32.41. The company has a market capitalization of $2.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.94, a P/E/G ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 0.73. Perdoceo Education Corporation has a 1-year low of $26.66 and a 1-year high of $38.50.

Perdoceo Education (NASDAQ:PRDO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.84 by $0.06. Perdoceo Education had a net margin of 19.91% and a return on equity of 18.51%. The business had revenue of $221.74 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $218.40 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.70 earnings per share. Perdoceo Education's quarterly revenue was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. Perdoceo Education has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.050-3.160 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.790-0.800 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Perdoceo Education Corporation will post 3.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Perdoceo Education Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. Perdoceo Education's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PRDO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Barrington Research set a $44.00 target price on shares of Perdoceo Education in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Perdoceo Education in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Perdoceo Education from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $44.00.

Perdoceo Education Profile

Perdoceo Education Corporation NASDAQ: PRDO is a for-profit postsecondary education provider offering certificate, associate, bachelor's and master's degree programs. The company operates primarily through two brand platforms—Colorado Technical University and American InterContinental University—delivering career-focused education both on campus and online. These programs span fields such as business, information technology, healthcare and criminal justice, targeting working adults seeking to advance or pivot their careers.

With headquarters in Schaumburg, Illinois, Perdoceo serves students across the United States and internationally through its online offerings.

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