Zacks Research Downgrades Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) to Hold

Key Points

• Zacks Research has downgraded Laureate Education's stock from a "strong-buy" to a "hold" rating, reflecting changing perceptions among analysts.
• The stock currently has an average target price of $29.50, with a recent opening price of $31.54 and a market capitalization of $4.65 billion.
• Laureate Education reported strong quarterly earnings, achieving $0.79 per share compared to the estimated $0.73, and revenue of $524.20 million, surpassing expectations.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Laureate Education from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, September 20th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Laureate Education in a research report on Friday, September 19th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $35.00 price objective on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $29.50.

Laureate Education Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ LAUR opened at $31.54 on Monday. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $26.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $23.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.55 and a beta of 0.58. Laureate Education has a 12-month low of $15.15 and a 12-month high of $31.74.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.06. Laureate Education had a net margin of 16.41% and a return on equity of 29.46%. The company had revenue of $524.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $502.00 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.65 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Laureate Education has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Laureate Education will post 1.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Laureate Education

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Laureate Education by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,060,176 shares of the company's stock worth $267,081,000 after acquiring an additional 387,567 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Laureate Education by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,298,980 shares of the company's stock worth $77,139,000 after acquiring an additional 30,808 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in Laureate Education by 3.3% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,272,264 shares of the company's stock worth $76,506,000 after acquiring an additional 105,712 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners grew its stake in Laureate Education by 22.4% in the 2nd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 2,503,885 shares of the company's stock worth $58,669,000 after acquiring an additional 458,202 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Laureate Education by 22.0% in the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,150,013 shares of the company's stock worth $43,968,000 after acquiring an additional 388,143 shares in the last quarter. 96.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Laureate Education

Laureate Education, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, offers higher education programs and services to students through a network of universities and higher education institutions. The company provides a range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the areas of business and management, medicine and health sciences, and engineering and information technology through campus-based, online, and hybrid programs.

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