Laureate Education $LAUR Holdings Increased by Ninety One UK Ltd

Ninety One UK Ltd raised its position in Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) by 34.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,842,476 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 984,671 shares during the period. Ninety One UK Ltd’s holdings in Laureate Education were worth $146,629,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LAUR. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Laureate Education by 736.0% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 726,646 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,316,000 after purchasing an additional 639,726 shares during the period. Neumeier Poma Investment Counsel LLC bought a new stake in Laureate Education in the second quarter valued at approximately $19,142,456. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in shares of Laureate Education by 39.8% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,155,090 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,243,000 after purchasing an additional 328,609 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in shares of Laureate Education by 83.9% during the first quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 547,194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,064,000 after purchasing an additional 249,615 shares during the period. Finally, BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S boosted its stake in shares of Laureate Education by 259.1% during the first quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 238,649 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,315,000 after purchasing an additional 172,186 shares during the period. 96.27% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Laureate Education Trading Up 0.4%

NASDAQ:LAUR traded up $0.17 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $39.62. 360,643 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,319,265. Laureate Education has a 12-month low of $24.98 and a 12-month high of $40.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.75, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 0.71 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $37.51 and a 200-day moving average price of $35.93.

Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.96 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $615.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $607.56 million. Laureate Education had a return on equity of 23.54% and a net margin of 17.57%. The business’s revenue was up 17.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.79 EPS. Laureate Education has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.040-2.100 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Laureate Education will post 2.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Laureate Education

In related news, Director Ian Snow sold 427,019 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.26, for a total value of $15,483,708.94. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 1,646,324 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $59,695,708.24. This trade represents a 20.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders sold a total of 521,229 shares of company stock worth $19,103,350 in the last ninety days. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on LAUR. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Laureate Education from $34.50 to $36.50 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Barrington Research started coverage on shares of Laureate Education in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $45.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Laureate Education from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a)” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $41.00 price target on shares of Laureate Education in a report on Monday, August 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $40.90.

Laureate Education Profile

Laureate Education, Inc is a provider of higher education services that operates universities and other postsecondary institutions. Through its network of institutions, the company offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs, professional education, and related academic services in fields such as business, health sciences, engineering, technology, and social sciences.

Laureate primarily serves students in Latin America, with operations in Mexico and Peru. Its institutions deliver programs through in-person, online, and blended learning formats, and are intended to serve both traditional university students and working professionals.

The company traces its roots to Sylvan Learning Systems, which expanded internationally and adopted the Laureate name in 2004.