Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) Stock Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Laureate Education shares moved above their 200-day moving average of $35.58, reaching $36.38 intraday and last trading at $35.61.
• The company beat quarterly estimates, reporting EPS of $0.52 versus $0.48 expected and revenue of $485.09 million versus $480.16 million expected; revenue rose 21.2% year over year.
• Analysts’ average rating is “Moderate Buy”, with a consensus price target of $40.90; recent ratings range from Sell to Strong Buy.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR - Get Free Report)'s share price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday. The stock has a 200-day moving average of $35.58 and traded as high as $36.38. Laureate Education shares last traded at $35.61, with a volume of 1,273,571 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on LAUR. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Laureate Education from $34.50 to $36.50 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Barrington Research assumed coverage on Laureate Education in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $45.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Laureate Education from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $41.00 price target for the company. in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Laureate Education from a "buy (a)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a research report on Friday, October 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Laureate Education currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $40.90.

Laureate Education Stock Performance

The company's fifty day simple moving average is $37.05 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $35.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.04, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.45.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $485.09 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $480.16 million. Laureate Education had a return on equity of 26.41% and a net margin of 20.28%. The business's revenue was up 21.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.23 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Laureate Education will post 2.12 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Laureate Education

In other Laureate Education news, Director Ian Snow sold 427,019 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.26, for a total value of $15,483,708.94. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 1,646,324 shares of the company's stock, valued at $59,695,708.24. This represents a 20.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 521,229 shares of company stock valued at $19,103,350. Insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAUR. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Laureate Education by 33.4% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,123 shares of the company's stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 281 shares during the period. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Laureate Education by 26.1% in the 3rd quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 1,807 shares of the company's stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 374 shares during the period. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Laureate Education by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC now owns 83,937 shares of the company's stock worth $3,203,000 after purchasing an additional 395 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its position in shares of Laureate Education by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 45,719 shares of the company's stock worth $1,745,000 after purchasing an additional 575 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP grew its position in shares of Laureate Education by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 25,418 shares of the company's stock worth $886,000 after purchasing an additional 576 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.27% of the company's stock.

About Laureate Education

Laureate Education, Inc. operates a network of private higher education institutions in Mexico and Peru. Its principal institutions are Universidad del Valle de México (UVM) and Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas (UPC). The company offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs, as well as other academic and professional education, across fields that include business, health sciences, engineering and technology. Its institutions serve students through campus-based and digital learning options.

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