Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) Issues FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Key Points

• FY2026 guidance: Laureate set EPS guidance of 2.000–2.080, which is below the consensus EPS of 2.160, while revenue guidance of $1.9 billion was in line with expectations.
• Analyst sentiment: Several firms have raised target prices recently and the stock carries a consensus Buy rating with an average price target of $39.63.
• Recent results & stock metrics: The company beat the quarter's estimates (EPS -$0.17 vs -$0.24; revenue $272.6M vs $265.0M) and the shares trade around $31.59 with a P/E of 16.45 and a ~$4.51B market cap.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR - Get Free Report) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided EPS guidance of 2.000-2.080 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 2.160. The company issued revenue guidance of $1.9 billion-$1.9 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $1.9 billion. Laureate Education also updated its Q2 2026 guidance to EPS.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on LAUR. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Laureate Education from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Zacks Research raised Laureate Education from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Laureate Education from $32.00 to $36.50 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Laureate Education from $40.00 to $41.50 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Laureate Education from a "buy (a-)" rating to a "buy (b+)" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $39.63.

Laureate Education Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:LAUR opened at $31.59 on Thursday. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $33.44 and its 200-day moving average price is $32.79. Laureate Education has a 12-month low of $19.71 and a 12-month high of $37.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.45 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($0.17) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.24) by $0.07. Laureate Education had a return on equity of 23.50% and a net margin of 16.55%.The firm had revenue of $272.61 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $264.98 million. Laureate Education has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.080 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Laureate Education will post 2.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Laureate Education by 3.3% during the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 14,053 shares of the company's stock valued at $443,000 after buying an additional 455 shares during the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its stake in shares of Laureate Education by 0.5% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 126,399 shares of the company's stock worth $2,955,000 after purchasing an additional 658 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 751 shares during the last quarter. Susquehanna Portfolio Strategies LLC grew its stake in shares of Laureate Education by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Susquehanna Portfolio Strategies LLC now owns 34,689 shares of the company's stock worth $1,168,000 after purchasing an additional 780 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Laureate Education by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 41,080 shares of the company's stock worth $1,383,000 after purchasing an additional 803 shares during the last quarter. 96.27% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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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