Short Interest in Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) Increases By 92.9%

Key Points

• Short interest in Laureate Education rose by 92.9% in March to 5,989,225 shares, about 4.2% of the stock and a short-interest ratio of 1.8 days.
• Large institutions have been increasing exposure—AllianceBernstein now owns 5,101,074 shares after a 1,060.2% increase and Goldman Sachs boosted its stake by 55.7%—leaving institutional ownership at 96.27%.
• Laureate reported quarterly EPS of $0.76 (in line) with revenue up 27.9% year-over-year and set FY2026 guidance of 1.950–2.030 EPS; analysts carry a consensus Buy rating with an average target of $39.63.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 5,989,225 shares, an increase of 92.9% from the March 15th total of 3,104,862 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 3,288,032 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.8 days. Approximately 4.2% of the company's stock are short sold.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Laureate Education

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of LAUR. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its holdings in Laureate Education by 1,060.2% in the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 5,101,074 shares of the company's stock worth $160,888,000 after acquiring an additional 4,661,417 shares during the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Laureate Education in the third quarter worth about $54,859,000. Neumeier Poma Investment Counsel LLC bought a new stake in shares of Laureate Education during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,554,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Laureate Education by 55.7% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,266,565 shares of the company's stock valued at $76,315,000 after buying an additional 811,108 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Laureate Education by 113.8% during the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 1,288,851 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,133,000 after buying an additional 685,998 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.27% of the company's stock.

Laureate Education Price Performance

NASDAQ:LAUR opened at $32.91 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.14 and a beta of 0.56. Laureate Education has a one year low of $18.56 and a one year high of $37.91. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $34.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $32.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.67.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.76. Laureate Education had a return on equity of 23.50% and a net margin of 16.55%.The business had revenue of $541.39 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $527.10 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.62 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 27.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Laureate Education has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.950-2.030 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Laureate Education will post 1.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on LAUR shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded Laureate Education from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a report on Thursday. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Laureate Education in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Laureate Education from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Laureate Education from $40.00 to $41.50 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Laureate Education from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $39.63.

About Laureate Education

Laureate Education, Inc NASDAQ: LAUR is a leading global network of higher education institutions dedicated to providing undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs to a diverse student body. The company designs and delivers academic offerings through a combination of campus-based and online platforms, focusing on fields such as business, health sciences, engineering, education and hospitality management. By aligning its curriculum with regional workforce needs, Laureate aims to equip students with practical skills and industry insights that support career advancement and lifelong learning.

Through its network, Laureate operates a broad portfolio of universities and colleges, including both longstanding campus institutions and digitally native programs.

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