Perdoceo Education (NASDAQ:PRDO) Rating Lowered to Hold at Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research downgraded Perdoceo Education from a strong-buy to a hold, though the consensus remains a Moderate Buy with a $42 target and other analysts (Barrington, Weiss) still expressing positive views.
• Perdoceo beat Q4 estimates (EPS $0.59 vs. $0.54; revenue $211.6M, +20% YoY) and issued FY2026 guidance of 2.97–3.12 EPS; the stock trades at a PE of 14.98 with very low debt-to-equity (0.04) and strong liquidity (current and quick ratios ≈5).
• Insiders have sold 206,476 shares worth $7.27M in the past 90 days (including SVP and CEO sales), while institutional investors own roughly 93.46% of the company and insiders hold about 2.11%.

Perdoceo Education (NASDAQ:PRDO - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Barrington Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $42.00 target price on shares of Perdoceo Education in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Perdoceo Education in a research report on Tuesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $42.00.

Perdoceo Education Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of Perdoceo Education stock opened at $36.11 on Tuesday. Perdoceo Education has a 1 year low of $24.45 and a 1 year high of $38.50. The firm has a market cap of $2.26 billion, a PE ratio of 14.98, a P/E/G ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 0.85. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $34.87 and a 200-day moving average price of $32.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 5.06 and a quick ratio of 5.03.

Perdoceo Education (NASDAQ:PRDO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The company reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.05. Perdoceo Education had a return on equity of 17.59% and a net margin of 18.90%.The firm had revenue of $211.64 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $209.95 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.50 EPS. The business's revenue was up 20.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Perdoceo Education has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.830-0.850 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 2.970-3.120 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Perdoceo Education will post 3.05 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Perdoceo Education

In other news, SVP David C. Czeszewski sold 36,225 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.81, for a total transaction of $1,188,542.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 68,875 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,259,788.75. This represents a 34.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Todd S. Nelson sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.24, for a total value of $1,409,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 392,368 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,827,048.32. The trade was a 9.25% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 206,476 shares of company stock worth $7,273,879 over the last 90 days. 2.11% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Perdoceo Education during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its stake in shares of Perdoceo Education by 72.6% during the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 811 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 341 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in Perdoceo Education by 108.2% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 970 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 504 shares during the period. First Horizon Corp bought a new position in Perdoceo Education in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in Perdoceo Education by 81.5% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 833 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 374 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.46% of the company's stock.

Perdoceo Education Company Profile

Perdoceo Education Corporation NASDAQ: PRDO is a for-profit postsecondary education provider offering certificate, associate, bachelor's and master's degree programs. The company operates primarily through two brand platforms—Colorado Technical University and American InterContinental University—delivering career-focused education both on campus and online. These programs span fields such as business, information technology, healthcare and criminal justice, targeting working adults seeking to advance or pivot their careers.

With headquarters in Schaumburg, Illinois, Perdoceo serves students across the United States and internationally through its online offerings.

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