Perdoceo Education (NASDAQ:PRDO) Shares Cross Below 200 Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Perdoceo Education shares fell below their 200-day moving average, trading as low as $32.64 versus the $33.35 average, a potential technical warning for investors.
• Analyst sentiment remains moderately positive: two analysts rate the stock Buy and one rates it Hold, with an average price target of $44.00 versus the recent price near $32.71.
• The company reported in-line quarterly EPS of $0.80, 1.8% year-over-year revenue growth, and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.17; however, the CEO and chairman recently sold shares, while institutional investors own 93.46% of the stock.

Perdoceo Education Corporation (NASDAQ:PRDO - Get Free Report)'s share price crossed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday. The stock has a 200-day moving average of $33.35 and traded as low as $32.64. Perdoceo Education shares last traded at $32.71, with a volume of 598,162 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on PRDO. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Perdoceo Education in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Perdoceo Education from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $44.00.

Perdoceo Education Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $2.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.94, a PEG ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 0.73. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $32.71 and a 200 day moving average of $33.35.

Perdoceo Education (NASDAQ:PRDO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.80. Perdoceo Education had a net margin of 20.62% and a return on equity of 18.93%. The firm had revenue of $213.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $212.50 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.67 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Perdoceo Education has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.730-0.740 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 3.100-3.160 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Perdoceo Education Corporation will post 3.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Perdoceo Education Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 1st were paid a $0.17 dividend. This is an increase from Perdoceo Education's previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Perdoceo Education's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.82%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Chairman Gregory L. Jackson sold 11,271 shares of Perdoceo Education stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.78, for a total value of $358,192.38. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman directly owned 64,949 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,064,079.22. The trade was a 14.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Todd S. Nelson sold 46,199 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.89, for a total value of $1,519,485.11. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 301,782 shares in the company, valued at $9,925,609.98. The trade was a 13.28% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 1.46% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Perdoceo Education

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Perdoceo Education during the second quarter worth $294,217,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Perdoceo Education by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,907,383 shares of the company's stock valued at $145,395,000 after acquiring an additional 108,727 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Perdoceo Education by 2.2% during the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,970,195 shares of the company's stock worth $110,521,000 after purchasing an additional 64,399 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC raised its position in Perdoceo Education by 19.1% during the 3rd quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 2,108,420 shares of the company's stock worth $65,235,000 after purchasing an additional 338,556 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Callodine Capital Management LP grew its position in shares of Perdoceo Education by 36.6% in the 1st quarter. Callodine Capital Management LP now owns 1,316,540 shares of the company's stock valued at $48,988,000 after buying an additional 352,850 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.46% of the company's stock.

Perdoceo Education Company Profile

Perdoceo Education Corporation NASDAQ: PRDO is a provider of postsecondary education focused primarily on online learning. Through its institutions, the company offers career-oriented academic programs designed for working adults and other nontraditional students.

Perdoceo's education brands include American InterContinental University and Colorado Technical University, which offer associate, bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs in areas such as business, information technology, healthcare, criminal justice and engineering.

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