Vestcor Inc Invests $411,000 in Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR)

Key Points

• Vestcor Inc acquired a new stake in Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR), purchasing 20,091 shares valued at approximately $411,000 during the first quarter.
• Several other institutional investors, including Blue Trust Inc and GAMMA Investing LLC, also increased their positions in Laureate Education amidst growing investor interest.
• The company reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $0.79 for the last quarter, surpassing analysts' forecasts of $0.73 and showing a revenue increase of 5.0% year-over-year.

Vestcor Inc acquired a new position in shares of Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 20,091 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $411,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Laureate Education by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,090,486 shares of the company's stock worth $129,683,000 after acquiring an additional 87,267 shares in the last quarter. Marathon Asset Management Ltd grew its stake in shares of Laureate Education by 6.6% during the first quarter. Marathon Asset Management Ltd now owns 1,816,234 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,142,000 after buying an additional 112,492 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Laureate Education by 7.4% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,761,870 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,225,000 after buying an additional 122,094 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in shares of Laureate Education by 18.8% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,663,351 shares of the company's stock worth $30,424,000 after purchasing an additional 263,418 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Laureate Education by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,317,529 shares of the company's stock worth $24,098,000 after purchasing an additional 58,811 shares during the period. 96.27% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Laureate Education Price Performance

NASDAQ LAUR traded up $0.05 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $24.52. The company's stock had a trading volume of 442,354 shares, compared to its average volume of 866,123. The company has a market capitalization of $3.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.40 and a beta of 0.54. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $22.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $21.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. Laureate Education has a 1 year low of $14.30 and a 1 year high of $24.71.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.06. Laureate Education had a net margin of 16.41% and a return on equity of 29.46%. The firm had revenue of $524.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $502.00 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.65 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Laureate Education will post 1.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LAUR has been the subject of several research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Laureate Education from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Laureate Education from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd.

Laureate Education Company Profile

Laureate Education, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, offers higher education programs and services to students through a network of universities and higher education institutions. The company provides a range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the areas of business and management, medicine and health sciences, and engineering and information technology through campus-based, online, and hybrid programs.