Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. Reduces Holdings in Laureate Education $LAUR

Key Points

• Punch & Associates Investment Management cut its stake in Laureate Education by 7.8% in the first quarter, but still held 1,172,881 shares valued at about $40.9 million, making LAUR its second-largest position.
• Laureate Education reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of -$0.17 versus the -$0.24 consensus and revenue of $272.61 million, up 15.4% year over year.
• Analysts remain generally constructive on the stock, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $40.90; shares recently traded around $37.00 and were up 1.1% in the session.

Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. reduced its position in Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR - Free Report) by 7.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,172,881 shares of the company's stock after selling 99,572 shares during the period. Laureate Education comprises 2.4% of Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 2nd largest position. Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. owned about 0.84% of Laureate Education worth $40,863,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of LAUR. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Laureate Education during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in shares of Laureate Education by 109.0% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,097 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 572 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Laureate Education by 328.6% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,650 shares of the company's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 1,265 shares during the last quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Laureate Education during the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Laureate Education during the 4th quarter worth approximately $100,000. Institutional investors own 96.27% of the company's stock.

Laureate Education Stock Up 1.1%

LAUR opened at $37.00 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $36.00 and a 200-day moving average of $34.57. The company has a market capitalization of $5.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.47 and a beta of 0.40. Laureate Education has a fifty-two week low of $21.53 and a fifty-two week high of $40.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.57.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($0.17) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.24) by $0.07. Laureate Education had a net margin of 16.08% and a return on equity of 22.07%. The business had revenue of $272.61 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $265.06 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($0.13) earnings per share. Laureate Education's revenue for the quarter was up 15.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Laureate Education has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.080 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Laureate Education will post 2.08 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on LAUR shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Laureate Education from $41.50 to $41.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 4th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Laureate Education from $37.50 to $39.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Laureate Education from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Barrington Research assumed coverage on shares of Laureate Education in a research report on Thursday. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $45.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Laureate Education from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $40.90.

Laureate Education Company Profile

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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