Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) Stock Rating Lowered by Zacks Research

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on LAUR. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Laureate Education in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Laureate Education from $40.00 to $41.50 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Laureate Education from $32.00 to $36.50 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Laureate Education from a "buy (a-)" rating to a "buy (b+)" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Laureate Education from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $39.63.

Laureate Education Price Performance

Shares of LAUR opened at $30.09 on Wednesday. Laureate Education has a fifty-two week low of $19.71 and a fifty-two week high of $37.91. The company has a market capitalization of $4.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.67 and a beta of 0.56. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $33.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $32.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.67.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($0.17) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.24) by $0.07. Laureate Education had a net margin of 16.55% and a return on equity of 23.50%. The business had revenue of $272.61 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $265.06 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.13) earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 15.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Laureate Education has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.080 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Laureate Education will post 2.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Laureate Education

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mirabella Financial Services LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Laureate Education during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $3,538,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH lifted its position in shares of Laureate Education by 219.5% during the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 213,338 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,729,000 after acquiring an additional 146,565 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans acquired a new stake in shares of Laureate Education during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $4,389,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Laureate Education by 50.3% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 59,552 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,878,000 after acquiring an additional 19,942 shares during the period. Finally, DNB Asset Management AS lifted its position in shares of Laureate Education by 276.9% during the 3rd quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 427,563 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,485,000 after acquiring an additional 314,120 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.27% of the company's stock.

Laureate Education News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Laureate Education this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations: revenue of $272.6M (+15.4% YoY) topped estimates and adjusted EPS came in at ($0.17), beating the consensus loss. The better-than-expected top line and EPS surprise helped show operational momentum. Company Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Company raised full-year 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $2.00–$2.08, signaling confidence in profitability versus prior guidance. That upward move on EPS is supportive for longer-term earnings expectations. Earnings Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Profitability metrics look healthy: reported net margin (~16.6%) and ROE (~23.5%) are notable positives, but the company still reported a GAAP loss for the quarter year-over-year. MarketBeat Summary & Call Materials
• Neutral Sentiment: Management hosted the earnings call and published the transcript and slide deck — useful for investors seeking detail on enrollment trends, margins and buyback/capital allocation commentary. Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue guidance came in light: FY revenue guidance and Q2 revenue range ($597M–$601M) were below consensus (~$609.8M for Q2 and ~$1.9B annual), creating concern that top-line momentum could slow. That gap likely pressured the stock. Zacks Earnings Coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Company still reported a GAAP loss this quarter (EPS negative vs. year-ago), and consensus FY EPS (~2.16) remains slightly above management’s guidance range, leaving downside risk if execution slips. Higher intraday volume suggests selling pressure as investors reprice expectations. TipRanks Notice

About Laureate Education

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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