William Blair Has Optimistic Outlook of Stride Q3 Earnings

Key Points

• William Blair has increased its Q3 2026 EPS estimate for Stride, Inc. to $2.42, up from a previous forecast of $2.28, maintaining an "Outperform" rating on the stock.
• Stride's latest earnings report revealed earnings of $2.29 per share, exceeding expectations, alongside a 22.4% year-over-year revenue growth to $653.65 million for the quarter.
• Multiple analysts have issued bullish ratings on Stride, with an average price target of $135.17, reflecting broader positive sentiment around the company’s performance and prospects.

Stride, Inc. (NYSE:LRN - Free Report) - Research analysts at William Blair upped their Q3 2026 EPS estimates for Stride in a research report issued on Wednesday, August 6th. William Blair analyst S. Sheldon now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $2.42 for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $2.28. William Blair currently has a "Outperform" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Stride's current full-year earnings is $6.67 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for Stride's Q4 2026 earnings at $2.20 EPS.

A number of other brokerages also recently weighed in on LRN. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Stride from $148.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Stride from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, June 21st. Barrington Research restated an "outperform" rating and set a $170.00 target price on shares of Stride in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their target price on shares of Stride from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Stride in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $135.17.

Stride Stock Up 3.9%

LRN traded up $5.55 during trading on Thursday, reaching $149.60. 991,078 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 699,123. The stock has a market cap of $6.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.10. Stride has a twelve month low of $63.25 and a twelve month high of $162.30. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $138.65 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $137.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 5.53 and a current ratio of 5.39.

Stride (NYSE:LRN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $2.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.46. Stride had a net margin of 11.97% and a return on equity of 25.51%. The company had revenue of $653.65 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $626.23 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.42 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 22.4% compared to the same quarter last year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stride

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LRN. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in Stride by 333.3% during the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 208 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. Penserra Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Stride during the second quarter worth $27,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Stride by 140.5% during the first quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 267 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Stride by 37.5% during the second quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 275 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in Stride during the fourth quarter worth $41,000. 98.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Stride Company Profile

Stride, Inc, a technology-based education service company, engages in the provision of proprietary and third-party online curriculum, software systems, and educational services in the United States and internationally. Its technology-based products and services enable clients to attract, enroll, educate, track progress, support, and facilitate individualized learning for students.