Phoenix Education Partners (NYSE:PXED) Rating Increased to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Phoenix Education Partners from hold to buy, adding to a generally positive analyst view on the stock.
• Other firms remain constructive: Morgan Stanley kept an overweight rating, Barrington Research reiterated outperform, and the consensus rating is currently Moderate Buy with a target price of $42.20.
• The company recently beat earnings estimates, reporting $1.43 EPS versus $1.28 expected, while the stock traded around $30.28 and remains below the analyst consensus target.

Phoenix Education Partners (NYSE:PXED - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on PXED. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $40.00 price objective on shares of Phoenix Education Partners in a research report on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of Phoenix Education Partners from $39.00 to $36.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings raised Phoenix Education Partners from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Barrington Research reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $45.00 price target on shares of Phoenix Education Partners in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $42.20.

Phoenix Education Partners Price Performance

Phoenix Education Partners stock opened at $30.28 on Monday. The stock's 50 day moving average is $31.23 and its 200 day moving average is $30.19. 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 firm has a market cap of $1.09 billion and a P/E ratio of 14.08.

Phoenix Education Partners (NYSE:PXED - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 14th. The company reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $271.80 million during the quarter. Phoenix Education Partners had a net margin of 8.18% and a return on equity of 60.06%. As a group, research analysts expect that Phoenix Education Partners will post 4.47 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC purchased a new position in shares of Phoenix Education Partners in the first quarter worth $858,000. Walleye Capital LLC grew its holdings in Phoenix Education Partners by 23.7% in the 1st quarter. Walleye Capital LLC now owns 16,162 shares of the company's stock worth $508,000 after acquiring an additional 3,097 shares during the last quarter. State of Wyoming purchased a new position in shares of Phoenix Education Partners in the first quarter valued at about $151,000. Bastion Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Phoenix Education Partners in the first quarter valued at about $2,085,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in shares of Phoenix Education Partners by 55.1% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 10,969 shares of the company's stock valued at $345,000 after acquiring an additional 3,898 shares during the last quarter.

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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