Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) Stock Price Down 3.9% – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) were down 3.9% during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $30.09 and last traded at $29.97. Approximately 445,510 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 50% from the average daily volume of 896,325 shares. The stock had previously closed at $31.19.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on LAUR shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Laureate Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 20th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Laureate Education in a research report on Saturday, September 27th. UBS Group initiated coverage on Laureate Education in a research note on Friday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $35.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Laureate Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $29.50.

Laureate Education Trading Down 5.5%

The company’s fifty day moving average is $27.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $23.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The stock has a market cap of $4.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.35 and a beta of 0.63.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Laureate Education

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LAUR. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Laureate Education during the 1st quarter worth about $36,637,000. Candriam S.C.A. increased its stake in Laureate Education by 510.4% in the second quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 1,214,700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,401,000 after purchasing an additional 1,015,711 shares during the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Laureate Education by 113.8% in the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board acquired a new position in shares of Laureate Education in the 1st quarter valued at $9,976,000. Finally, Boston Partners boosted its holdings in shares of Laureate Education by 22.4% in the 2nd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 2,503,885 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,669,000 after buying an additional 458,202 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.27% of the company’s stock.

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.