Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.07 EPS

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The company reported ($0.17) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.24) by $0.07, FiscalAI reports. Laureate Education had a return on equity of 23.50% and a net margin of 16.55%.The firm had revenue of $272.61 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $264.98 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.13) earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 15.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Laureate Education updated its FY 2026 guidance to 2.000-2.080 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Laureate Education’s conference call:

• Enrollment intakes met expectations with overall new enrollments up ~9% through April, led by Peru +13% and Mexico +4%, and management reaffirmed full?year guidance for enrollments, revenue and Adjusted EBITDA.
• Laureate repurchased $105 million of stock in Q1, raised 2026 Adjusted EPS guidance by $0.05, plans further buybacks, and ended the quarter with a strong balance sheet (net debt $60 million and $76 million remaining repurchase authorization).
• Q1 revenue was $273 million with Adjusted EBITDA of negative $2 million; management cited seasonality and ~$9 million of revenue timing shifting into H2 while maintaining full?year revenue guidance of $1.890–$1.905 billion and Adjusted EBITDA of $583–$593 million.
• Rapid scaling of fully online programs in Peru is the primary growth driver but management warned it will pressure average revenue per student and has higher attrition, and planned campus investments in Mexico (starting Sept.) will weigh on near?term margins.

Laureate Education Stock Performance

NASDAQ:LAUR traded down $1.50 on Thursday, hitting $30.09. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,322,821 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,268,967. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $33.37 and a two-hundred day moving average of $32.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.67 and a beta of 0.56. Laureate Education has a one year low of $19.71 and a one year high of $37.91.

Institutional Trading of Laureate Education

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LAUR. Quarry LP bought a new stake in Laureate Education in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Laureate Education by 328.6% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,650 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 1,265 shares during the period. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new stake in Laureate Education in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Laureate Education in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $100,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new stake in Laureate Education in the second quarter valued at approximately $108,000. Institutional investors own 96.27% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Laureate Education

Here are the key news stories impacting Laureate Education this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations: revenue of $272.6M (+15.4% YoY) topped estimates and adjusted EPS came in at ($0.17), beating the consensus loss. The better-than-expected top line and EPS surprise helped show operational momentum. Company Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Company raised full-year 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $2.00–$2.08, signaling confidence in profitability versus prior guidance. That upward move on EPS is supportive for longer-term earnings expectations. Earnings Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Profitability metrics look healthy: reported net margin (~16.6%) and ROE (~23.5%) are notable positives, but the company still reported a GAAP loss for the quarter year-over-year. MarketBeat Summary & Call Materials
• Neutral Sentiment: Management hosted the earnings call and published the transcript and slide deck — useful for investors seeking detail on enrollment trends, margins and buyback/capital allocation commentary. Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue guidance came in light: FY revenue guidance and Q2 revenue range ($597M–$601M) were below consensus (~$609.8M for Q2 and ~$1.9B annual), creating concern that top-line momentum could slow. That gap likely pressured the stock. Zacks Earnings Coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Company still reported a GAAP loss this quarter (EPS negative vs. year-ago), and consensus FY EPS (~2.16) remains slightly above management’s guidance range, leaving downside risk if execution slips. Higher intraday volume suggests selling pressure as investors reprice expectations. TipRanks Notice

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Zacks Research raised Laureate Education from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. 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 research report on Thursday, March 26th. Wall Street Zen cut Laureate Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Laureate Education from $32.00 to $36.50 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Laureate Education in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Laureate Education has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $39.63.

Laureate Education Company Profile

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.