Phoenix Education Partners, Inc. (NYSE:PXED) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is moderately positive: Seven brokerages give Phoenix Education Partners a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating, with four buys and three holds. The average 12-month price target is $41.60 versus the stock’s reported $28.72 price.
• Quarterly earnings beat expectations: The company reported adjusted earnings of $1.43 per share, exceeding the $1.28 consensus estimate, on revenue of $271.8 million.
• Phoenix Education Partners announced a quarterly dividend of $0.21 per share, equivalent to $0.84 annually and a 2.9% yield, with payment scheduled for August 14 to shareholders of record as of July 29.

Shares of Phoenix Education Partners, Inc. (NYSE:PXED - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the seven research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $41.60.

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. B. Riley Financial reduced their price target on shares of Phoenix Education Partners from $54.00 to $51.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $40.00 price objective on shares of Phoenix Education Partners in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Phoenix Education Partners from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Barrington Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $45.00 target price on shares of Phoenix Education Partners in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Phoenix Education Partners from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Phoenix Education Partners

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Phoenix Education Partners in the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,774,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new position in shares of Phoenix Education Partners during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $21,681,000. Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new position in shares of Phoenix Education Partners during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $10,559,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. purchased a new stake in Phoenix Education Partners in the fourth quarter worth $7,989,000. Finally, FIL Ltd bought a new stake in Phoenix Education Partners in the fourth quarter valued at $7,575,000.

Phoenix Education Partners Price Performance

PXED stock opened at $28.72 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 1.91 and a quick ratio of 1.92. Phoenix Education Partners has a one year low of $23.52 and a one year high of $47.08. The stock has a market cap of $1.04 billion and a PE ratio of 13.36. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $31.21 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $30.05.

Phoenix Education Partners (NYSE:PXED - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 14th. The company reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.15. Phoenix Education Partners had a net margin of 8.18% and a return on equity of 60.06%. The firm had revenue of $271.80 million for the quarter. On average, analysts predict that Phoenix Education Partners will post 4.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Phoenix Education Partners Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 29th will be paid a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 29th. Phoenix Education Partners's payout ratio is 39.07%.

Phoenix Education Partners Company Profile

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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