Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) Sets New 1-Year High - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• Laureate Education's stock reached a new 52-week high of $28.04, last trading at $27.97 with a trading volume of over 1 million shares.
• Analysts have upgraded Laureate Education to a "strong-buy" rating, with a current consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $24.00.
• The company reported quarterly earnings of $0.79 EPS, exceeding estimates and indicating a revenue increase of 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $28.04 and last traded at $27.97, with a volume of 1080074 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $27.48.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Laureate Education from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $24.00.

Laureate Education Price Performance

The company's 50-day moving average is $24.89 and its 200-day moving average is $22.22. The firm has a market cap of $4.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.38 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.06. Laureate Education had a return on equity of 29.46% and a net margin of 16.41%.The firm had revenue of $524.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $502.00 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.65 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Laureate Education has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Laureate Education will post 1.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Laureate Education

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LAUR. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Laureate Education by 328.6% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,650 shares of the company's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 1,265 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Laureate Education during the first quarter worth $62,000. Avanza Fonder AB bought a new position in shares of Laureate Education in the 1st quarter valued at $93,000. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Laureate Education by 260.1% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,901 shares of the company's stock valued at $100,000 after acquiring 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 $102,000. 96.27% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.