Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) Sets New 1-Year High - Should You Buy?

Laureate Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LAUR - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $21.80 and last traded at $21.74, with a volume of 158932 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $20.64.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Laureate Education from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday.

Laureate Education Stock Performance

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 company has a market cap of $3.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.83 and a beta of 0.59. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $19.74 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $18.96.

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

Insider Transactions at Laureate Education

In other news, Director Ian Kendell Snow sold 520,831 shares of Laureate Education stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.47, for a total value of $9,098,917.57. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 1.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Laureate Education

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Blue Trust Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Laureate Education during the first quarter worth approximately $62,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp lifted its position in Laureate Education by 34.4% in the 4th quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 3,386 shares of the company's stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 866 shares in the last quarter. Avanza Fonder AB acquired a new position in Laureate Education during the 1st quarter valued at about $93,000. CWM LLC increased its holdings in Laureate Education by 260.1% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,901 shares of the company's stock worth $100,000 after purchasing an additional 3,540 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Laureate Education during the 1st quarter worth approximately $102,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.27% of the company's stock.

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.