UBS Group AG Purchases 343,013 Shares of Laureate Education $LAUR

Key Points

• UBS Group AG increased its stake in Laureate Education by 59.9% in the fourth quarter, buying 343,013 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 915,653 shares worth about $30.8 million.
• Several other institutional investors also adjusted their positions, and hedge funds now own 96.27% of Laureate Education’s stock, underscoring strong institutional ownership.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed but generally positive: the stock has an average “Moderate Buy” rating with a $40 target price, while the company recently beat quarterly EPS and revenue estimates and raised its FY 2026 EPS guidance to 2.00-2.08.

UBS Group AG raised its stake in Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR - Free Report) by 59.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 915,653 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 343,013 shares during the period. UBS Group AG owned approximately 0.62% of Laureate Education worth $30,830,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD purchased a new position in Laureate Education in the third quarter worth about $31,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Laureate Education by 328.6% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,650 shares of the company's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 1,265 shares during the last quarter. Francis Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Laureate Education in the third quarter worth about $102,000. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in Laureate Education by 26.2% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,617 shares of the company's stock worth $114,000 after buying an additional 751 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in Laureate Education in the second quarter worth about $108,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.27% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on LAUR. Weiss Ratings downgraded Laureate Education from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Laureate Education from $40.00 to $41.50 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Laureate Education from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Zacks Research downgraded Laureate Education from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Laureate Education from $32.00 to $36.50 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Laureate Education has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $40.00.

Laureate Education Trading Up 2.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:LAUR opened at $32.81 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $4.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.27 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.57. Laureate Education has a 1 year low of $21.16 and a 1 year high of $37.91. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $33.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $32.88.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($0.17) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.24) by $0.07. The company had revenue of $272.61 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $265.06 million. Laureate Education had a return on equity of 22.07% and a net margin of 16.08%.Laureate Education's revenue for the quarter was up 15.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.13) earnings per share. Laureate Education has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.080 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Laureate Education will post 2.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Laureate Education 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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