Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) Trading Down 4.4% – Here’s Why

Laureate Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LAUR) dropped 4.4% on Monday . The company traded as low as $21.96 and last traded at $21.34. Approximately 20,700 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 97% from the average daily volume of 736,469 shares. The stock had previously closed at $22.31.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Laureate Education from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Laureate Education from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd.

Laureate Education Stock Performance

The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $21.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $19.82. The company has a market cap of $3.26 billion, a PE ratio of 11.23 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.63.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Ian Kendell Snow sold 520,831 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.47, for a total transaction of $9,098,917.57. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Laureate Education

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. J.Safra Asset Management Corp lifted its position in Laureate Education by 34.4% in the fourth quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 3,386 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 866 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Laureate Education during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $62,000. Avanza Fonder AB purchased a new stake in shares of Laureate Education during the 1st quarter worth approximately $93,000. CWM LLC grew its holdings in Laureate Education by 260.1% in the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,901 shares of the company’s stock valued at $100,000 after purchasing an additional 3,540 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Laureate Education in the first quarter valued at about $102,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.27% of the company’s stock.

Laureate Education Company Profile

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.