Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to "Buy" Rating

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday.

Separately, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Laureate Education from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th.

Laureate Education Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LAUR traded up $0.07 during trading on Thursday, hitting $21.93. 74,538 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 742,433. The company has a market cap of $3.26 billion, a PE ratio of 11.32 and a beta of 0.59. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $20.45 and a 200 day moving average of $19.46. Laureate Education has a 52-week low of $13.60 and a 52-week high of $23.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.63.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Laureate Education

In other news, Director Ian Kendell Snow sold 520,831 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Laureate Education

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAUR. Blue Trust Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Laureate Education in the first quarter worth about $62,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp lifted its position in Laureate Education by 34.4% in the fourth quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 3,386 shares of the company's stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 866 shares during the last quarter. Avanza Fonder AB purchased a new stake in shares of Laureate Education during the first quarter valued at approximately $93,000. CWM LLC increased its stake in shares of Laureate Education by 260.1% in the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,901 shares of the company's stock worth $100,000 after buying an additional 3,540 shares during the period. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Laureate Education during the 1st quarter valued at $102,000. 96.27% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.