Phoenix Education Partners (NYSE:PXED) Sets New 52-Week Low - Here's Why

Key Points

• Phoenix Education Partners shares fell to a new 52-week low of $23.50, below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, giving the company a market capitalization of approximately $846.8 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains generally positive, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $40.60, despite several recent target-price reductions and one downgrade to “Sell.”
• The company exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $1.43 in EPS versus a $1.28 estimate on $271.8 million in revenue. An insider also sold shares under a pre-arranged plan to cover tax obligations, while major institutional investors increased or initiated positions.

Phoenix Education Partners, Inc. (NYSE:PXED - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week low during trading on Friday. The company traded as low as $23.50 and last traded at $23.70, with a volume of 15,666 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $23.98.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on PXED shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Phoenix Education Partners to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. B. Riley Financial cut their price objective on Phoenix Education Partners from $54.00 to $51.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of Phoenix Education Partners from $36.00 to $33.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Phoenix Education Partners from $40.00 to $38.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Phoenix Education Partners from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $40.60.

Phoenix Education Partners Price Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average of $26.94 and a 200 day moving average of $29.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 1.92 and a current ratio of 1.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $846.81 million and a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.93.

Phoenix Education Partners (NYSE:PXED - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 14th. The company reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 during the quarter. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Phoenix Education Partners, Inc. will post 4.46 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Phoenix Education Partners

In other Phoenix Education Partners news, insider John Terrence Woods sold 19,453 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.89, for a total transaction of $503,638.17. Following the transaction, the insider owned 62,682 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,622,836.98. This trade represents a 23.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 5.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Phoenix Education Partners

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Phoenix Education Partners by 48.3% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 743,112 shares of the company's stock valued at $24,411,000 after purchasing an additional 241,997 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Phoenix Education Partners in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $12,620,000. Bastion Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Phoenix Education Partners in the first quarter worth $2,085,000. Heartland Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Phoenix Education Partners in the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,398,000. Finally, PDT Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Phoenix Education Partners during the second quarter worth about $956,000.

Phoenix Education Partners Company Profile

Phoenix Education Partners, Inc NYSE: PXED is an education company focused on providing higher education and career-oriented learning opportunities for working adults. Its principal institution is University of Phoenix, which offers programs designed to accommodate students balancing education with professional and personal responsibilities.

Through University of Phoenix, the company provides online and flexible learning options in areas such as business, education, health care, information technology, nursing, and criminal justice.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.