First Trust Advisors LP Sells 20,534 Shares of Laureate Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LAUR)

First Trust Advisors LP lessened its holdings in Laureate Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LAUR - Free Report) by 9.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 200,283 shares of the company's stock after selling 20,534 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned 0.13% of Laureate Education worth $3,663,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Laureate Education in the 4th quarter worth $401,000. Mariner LLC grew its position in Laureate Education by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 16,933 shares of the company's stock worth $310,000 after buying an additional 541 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Laureate Education by 9.3% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 251,542 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,601,000 after acquiring an additional 21,444 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Laureate Education in the 4th quarter worth approximately $408,000. Finally, Martingale Asset Management L P grew its holdings in shares of Laureate Education by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 132,170 shares of the company's stock worth $2,417,000 after purchasing an additional 884 shares in the last quarter. 96.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Laureate Education

In other news, Director Ian Kendell Snow sold 520,831 shares of Laureate Education stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.47, for a total transaction of $9,098,917.57. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Laureate Education Price Performance

LAUR traded down $0.11 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $22.76. 89,654 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 751,542. Laureate Education, Inc. has a one year low of $13.60 and a one year high of $23.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $19.80 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $18.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.73 and a beta of 0.59.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $423.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $411.50 million. Laureate Education had a net margin of 18.92% and a return on equity of 32.35%. As a group, research analysts predict that Laureate Education, Inc. will post 1.51 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Laureate Education from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday.

About Laureate Education

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.