Phoenix Education Partners (NYSE:PXED) Shares Gap Down - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Shares of Phoenix Education Partners gapped down in premarket trading, opening at $28.54 after a $30.79 close and trading around $29.10 — down roughly 7.9%.
• Analysts are mixed: the consensus rating is a Hold with an average price target of $44, while Morgan Stanley and Barrington remain bullish (targets $46/$45) and Weiss Ratings initiated a Sell.
• Phoenix Education beat quarterly EPS estimates ($0.58 vs. $0.34) on $222.46M revenue and announced a $0.21 quarterly dividend (annualized $0.84, ~3.0% yield).

Phoenix Education Partners, Inc. (NYSE:PXED - Get Free Report) shares gapped down prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $30.79, but opened at $28.54. Phoenix Education Partners shares last traded at $29.0950, with a volume of 164,439 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on PXED shares. Zacks Research lowered shares of Phoenix Education Partners from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. 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. BMO Capital Markets set a $39.00 target price on shares of Phoenix Education Partners in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Weiss Ratings assumed coverage on shares of Phoenix Education Partners in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. They set a "sell (d+)" rating on the stock. Finally, Barrington Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $45.00 target price on shares of Phoenix Education Partners in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $44.00.

Phoenix Education Partners Trading Down 7.9%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 1.88 and a quick ratio of 1.88. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $29.41. The firm has a market cap of $1.01 billion and a P/E ratio of 11.71.

Phoenix Education Partners (NYSE:PXED - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 7th. The company reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.24. The firm had revenue of $222.46 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $219.71 million. The business's quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis.

Phoenix Education Partners Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 29th. Phoenix Education Partners's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.71%.

Institutional Trading of Phoenix Education Partners

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of Phoenix Education Partners during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey purchased a new stake in shares of Phoenix Education Partners during the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new stake in shares of Phoenix Education Partners during the 4th quarter valued at about $89,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Phoenix Education Partners during the 4th quarter valued at about $92,000. Finally, Sandia Investment Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Phoenix Education Partners during the 4th quarter valued at about $161,000.

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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