Phoenix Education Partners, Inc. (NYSE:PXED) Receives Average Rating of "Hold" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst consensus "Hold": Six brokers rate PXED a "Hold" (1 sell, 2 hold, 3 buy) with an average 12‑month target of $44.00, while the stock opened at $30.25.
• Recent earnings beat and dividend yield: Phoenix Education reported EPS $1.38 (vs. $1.27 est.) and revenue $262.03M, and pays a $0.21 quarterly dividend (annualized $0.84, ~2.8% yield, DPR ~34.7%).

Phoenix Education Partners, Inc. (NYSE:PXED - Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of "Hold" from the six ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have issued a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $44.00.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on PXED shares. Weiss Ratings initiated coverage on Phoenix Education Partners in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. They set a "sell (d+)" rating for the company. B. Riley Financial reduced their price objective on shares of Phoenix Education Partners from $60.00 to $54.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Phoenix Education Partners from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, January 11th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Phoenix Education Partners from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Barrington Research began coverage on shares of Phoenix Education Partners in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $45.00 price target for the company.

Phoenix Education Partners Stock Performance

NYSE:PXED opened at $30.25 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a current ratio of 1.88. Phoenix Education Partners has a fifty-two week low of $23.52 and a fifty-two week high of $47.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.08 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.50. The company's 50 day moving average is $30.22.

Phoenix Education Partners (NYSE:PXED - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 13th. The company reported $1.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $262.03 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $257.56 million. Phoenix Education Partners's revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year.

Phoenix Education Partners Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 28th were given a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 28th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Phoenix Education Partners's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.71%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Phoenix Education Partners

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in PXED. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new stake in Phoenix Education Partners in the fourth quarter worth $21,681,000. UBS Group AG purchased a new position in shares of Phoenix Education Partners in the 4th quarter worth about $2,618,000. Harbor Advisors LLC bought a new position in Phoenix Education Partners in the 4th quarter worth about $303,000. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in Phoenix Education Partners during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Van Berkom & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in Phoenix Education Partners during the 4th quarter valued at about $44,774,000.

About Phoenix Education Partners

Our Mission To provide access to higher education opportunities that enable students to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to achieve their professional goals, improve the performance of their organizations and provide leadership and service to their communities. We are a mission-driven organization operating at the forefront of the rapidly evolving post-secondary education market. As one of the largest online education providers and a pioneer in our field, we benefit from the dynamic interplay between technological innovation, education, employment and economic trends.

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